Where does “furtive” come from?

Furtive comes from French furtif, derived from Latin furtivus, formed from Latin fur meaning thief, with the suffix -ivus, ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European bʰer- meaning to carry or steal.

furtive (English): Stealthy; Exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy

Definitions

  1. Stealthy; Exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy

Ancestry of “furtive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English*furtyve—
2Frenchfurtiffurtive, stealthy
3Latinfūrtīvusstolen
4Latinfūrtuma theft, robbery
5Latinfūra thief
6Proto-Italicfōrthief
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰṓrthief
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰer-to bear, carry

Words derived from “furtive”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰṓr →Every word from Proto-Italic fōr →