In a sneaking or peeping manner; in a way that peeks or looks at something secretly.
From 'a-' (on, in) + 'peek' (to look secretly). This archaic or dialectal term combines the prefix 'a-' (common in older English like 'ablaze', 'afoot') with 'peek', creating an adverbial form meaning 'in a peeking manner'.
This is a wonderfully obscure Old English construction where 'a-' turns verbs into adverbs—'apeek' means peeking or looking sneakily, similar to how 'afoot' means 'on foot' or 'in progress,' showing how our ancestors built words differently than we do.
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