sub rosa

Definition

Covertly or in secret; confidentially, privately, secretly.

Etymology

PIE word *upó The adverb and adjective are an unadapted borrowing from Late Latin sub rosā (literally “under the rose”), from Latin sub (“beneath, under”) + rosa (“rose”) (possibly from Ancient Greek ῥόδον (rhódon, “rose”), ultimately from Proto-Iranian *wardah (“flower; rose”) and Proto-Indo-European *Hwerdʰ-, possibly a metathesis of *h₁lewdʰ- (“to grow; to rise”)). The reason for the reference to a rose is uncertain, though it has been suggested that it derives from the Ancient Greek myth that Aphrodite (the goddess of love) gave a rose to her son Eros (the god of love and sex), who in turn gave it to Harpocrates (the god of silence, confidentiality, and secrets) to ensure that Aphrodite’s sexual indiscretions were not revealed. Roses thus became a symbol of secrecy—they were, for example, used at meetings to pledge the participants not to disclose what had been discussed. Compare under the rose which is attested earlier. The noun is derived from the adverb and adjective.

Example Sentences

• "They held the meeting sub rosa."
• "By the by, I wonder some of you lawyers (sub rosa, of course) have not quoted the pithy lines in Mandeville […]"
• "I run my boat into New York, buy from Yankee firms, sub rosa, of course, and away I go."