mid-13c., "theft, action or practice of stealing," from a probable Old English *st?lt, which is related to stelen (see steal (v.)), from Proto-Germanic *st?litho (cognates: Old Norse stultr), with Proto-Germanic abstract noun suffix *-itho (see -th (2)).
Compare heal/health, weal/wealth. Sense of "secret action" developed c. 1300, but the word also retained its etymological sense into 18c. Got a boost as an adjective from stealth fighter, stealth bomber, radar-evading U.S. military aircraft, activated 1983.
雙語例句
1. The government was accused of trying to introduce the tax by stealth .
有人指責(zé)政府想不事聲張地開征這種稅。
來自《權(quán)威詞典》
2. He prefers to do good by stealth.
他寧愿悄悄做好事.
來自《現(xiàn)代漢英綜合大詞典》
3. The Navy has decided to cancel its contract for the A-12 Stealth attack plane.
海軍方面已決定取消購買A-12隱形攻擊機(jī)的合同。
來自柯林斯例句
4. It's good that he used direct taxation rather than stealth taxes to raise the money.
還好他采用了直接征稅而不是間接征稅的手段來籌集資金。
來自柯林斯例句
5. He claimed Tony Blair is trying to get us into the euro by stealth.