secreet

Secreet is an archaic or historical spelling of the English word secret. It appears in Middle English and Early Modern English texts as an alternate form of the noun and occasionally as an adjective meaning something hidden or not publicly known. In contemporary usage, the standard spelling secret is overwhelmingly preferred.

Etymology and orthography: The modern word secret derives from Old French secret, from Latin secretus, meaning set apart or hidden. The variant secreet reflects earlier English orthography and phonology, where the spelling often used double vowels to indicate a long vowel sound and to echo French influence. The -et ending is a historical suffix that appears in various borrowed forms in Middle English.

Usage and context: Secreet is primarily encountered in historical documents, literary quotations, or scholarly discussions of early English texts and spelling practices. It is not a distinct semantic term in modern English; its meaning aligns with the standard sense of secret—something kept from public knowledge, or information intended to be private.

Modern status: By the late 17th and 18th centuries, secreet fell out of common use, giving way to the standardized spelling secret. Today, secreet is typically cited only in studies of historical orthography or in editions that reproduce early texts verbatim.

See also: Secret, secrecy, confidentiality.