secrecy

Definition

Concealment; the condition of being secret or hidden.

Etymology

Alteration (on model of primacy, etc) of Late Middle English secretee, from Old French secré.

Example Sentences

• "I was sworn to secrecy."
• "Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,[…]. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either."
• "I suspect that this large and complex military railway system, shrouded in official secrecy for most of its operational life, remains unknown to many people."