Clandestine

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Clandestine \Clan*des"tine\, a. [L. clandestinus, fr. clam
     secretly; akin to celare, E. conceal: cf. F. clandestin.]
     Conducted with secrecy; withdrawn from public notice, usually
     for an evil purpose; kept secret; hidden; private; underhand;
     as, a clandestine marriage. --Locke.
  


     Syn: Hidden; secret; private; concealed; underhand; sly;
          stealthy; surreptitious; furtive; fraudulent. --
          {Clan*des"tine*ly}, adv. -- {Clan*des"tine*ness}, n.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  clandestine
       adj : conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods;
             "clandestine intelligence operations";
             "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines";
             "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a
             secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious
             mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation";
             "underground resistance" [syn: {cloak-and-dagger}, {hole-and-corner(a)},
              {hugger-mugger}, {hush-hush}, {on the quiet(p)}, {secret},
              {surreptitious}, {undercover}, {underground}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  26 Moby Thesaurus words for "clandestine":
     back-door, backstairs, covert, feline, furtive, hidlings,
     hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, privy, quiet, shifty, skulking,
     slinking, slinky, sly, sneaking, sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious,
     under-the-counter, under-the-table, undercover, underground,
     underhand, underhanded, unobtrusive
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  CLANDESTINE. That which is done in secret and contrary to law. 
       2.Generally a clandestine act in case of the limitation of actions will 
  prevent the act from running. A clandestine marriage is one which has been 
  contracted without the form which the law has prescribed for this important 
  contract. Alis. Princ. 543