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.
例文
1. The government was accused of trying to introduce the tax by stealth .
政府がこの税金を平気で徴収しようとしていると非難する人がいる。
2.He prefers to do good by stealth .
彼はひそかに良いことをしたほうがましだ。
3.The Navy has decided to cancel its contract for the A-12 Stealth attack plane.
海軍側は、A-12ステルス攻撃機の購入契約を取り消すことを決めた。
4.It 's good that he used direct taxation rather than stealth taxes to raise the money.
間接課税ではなく直接課税を採用して資金を集めてよかった。
5.He claimed Tony Blair is trying to get us into the euro by stealth .