Secret | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Sē'cret, a.

adjective

a. [Fr. secret, Sp. & Pg. secreto, It. secreto, segreto, Lat. secretus, p. p. of secernere, to put apart, to separate. See SECERN.] 1. Separate or set apart; hence, hid; concealed from general notice or knowledge; withdrawn from general intercourse; secluded; unseen. I have a secret errand to thee, O king. Judg. iii. 19. There, secret in her sapphire cell, He with the Nais wont to dwell. Fenton. 2. Kept from general knowledge or solution; known only to one or to few; hidden; concealed. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God. Deut. xxix. 29. 3. Faithful to a secret; not inclined to divulge or betray confidence; secretive. [Rare.] Secret Romans that have spoke the word, And will not palter. Shak. Syn.—Hidden; concealed; secluded; retired; unseen; unknown; private; obscure; recondite; latent; covert; clandestine; privy. See HIDDEN.

Sē'cret, n.

noun

n. [Fr. & Pr. secret, Sp. & Pg. secreto, It. secreto, segreto, Lat. secretum. See supra.] 1. Something studiously concealed; a thing kept from general knowledge; what is not revealed, or not to be revealed. To tell our own secrets is often folly; to communicate those of others is treachery. Rambler. 2. A thing not discovered; what is unknown; a mystery. All secrets of the deep, all nature's works. Milton. 3. (pl.) The parts which modesty and propriety require to be concealed; the genital organs. In secret, in a private place; in privacy or secrecy; in a state or place not seen; privately. Bread eaten in secret is pleasant. Prov. ix. 17.

Sē'cret, v. t.

verbtransitive

To keep private or secret. [Obs.]