## Etymology
Mid-19th century, from 'secret' (or 'secrete') + '-ive'; 'secret' is from Latin 'secretus' ('set apart, hidden'), from 'secernere' ('to separate').

## AI Etymology
Secretive is a mid-19th century, from 'secret' (or 'secrete') + '-ive'; 'secret' is from Latin 'secretus' ('set apart, hidden'), from 'secernere' ('to separate'). The historical chain includes Latin secretus and Latin secernere. The quoted older senses, "secret", "secrete", "-ive", "secretus", and "set apart, hidden", supply the semantic anchors for secretive. The formation is best read as borrowed: the word secretive carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a adj, "inclined to conceal one's feelings, intentions, or activities". English derivatives include secretively and secretiveness; related English forms include secret, secrete, and secrecy. The result is a adj whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

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