Sneak
/sniːk/noun
To move quietly and secretly, or a person who does so.
Did you know?Sneak is a genuine English word with Germanic roots tied to stealth, and its family includes words for creeping and slinking through darkness rather than any magical or occult origin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sneigʰ-
“to creep, crawl, or sneak”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sneikaną
“to creep, crawl, move stealthily”
Old English
OE
snīcan
“to creep, crawl, glide silently”
Middle English
ME
sneken
“to creep or move stealthily”
Modern English
English
sneak
“to move or act in a quiet, secret, or cowardly way”