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stealth

1. The act of stealing; theft. The owner proveth the stealth to have been committed upon him by such an outlaw. (Spenser)

2. The thing stolen; stolen property. Sluttish dens . . . Serving to cover stealths.

3. The bringing to pass anything in a secret or concealed manner; a secret procedure; a clandestine practice or action; in either a good or a bad sense. Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame. (pope) The monarch, blinded with desire of wealth, With steel invades the brother's life by stealth. (Dryden) I told him of your stealth unto this wood. (Shak)

Origin: OE. Staple. See Steal.