Meaning

adjective marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed

adjective secret and sly or sordid; ; - A.L.Guerard

originFrom Middle English *furtyve (implied in furtyvely (adverb)), from Middle French furtif, furtive (“furtive, stealthy”) (modern French furtif), from Latin fūrtīvus (“clandestine, furtive, secret; concealed, hidden; stolen”), from fūrtum (“theft; robbery”) (from fūr (“thief”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0