| 释义 |
secretiveness|ˈsiːkrə-, sɪˈkriːtɪvnɪs|
[Formed after F. secrétivité (Phrenology; Gall, 1808), f. secret secret; see -ive and -ness. Now apprehended as f. secretive a.]
The quality of being secretive; disposition to secrecy.
Originally used in Phrenology as the name of a ‘propensity’ having a special ‘bump’ allotted to it.
1815J. G. Spurzheim Physiogn. Syst. (ed. 2) 329 Organ of the propensity to conceal, or Secretiveness. 1878Bayne Purit. Rev. vii. 265 He had no secretiveness in his nature, and could do nothing by halves. 1897M. Kingsley W. Africa 161 There is a strange sense of secretiveness about all these West African forests. |