sub rosa

[ suhb roh-zuh ]
See synonyms for sub rosa on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. confidentially; secretly; privately.

Origin of sub rosa

1
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin sub rosā literally, “under the rose,” from the ancient use of the rose at meetings as a symbol of the sworn confidence of the participants, based on the Greek myth that Aphrodite gave a rose to her son Eros, who then gave the rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence and secrets, to ensure that Aphrodite’s dalliances remained hidden

Words Nearby sub rosa

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How to use sub rosa in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sub rosa

sub rosa

/ (ˈrəʊzə) /


adverb
  1. in secret

Origin of sub rosa

1
Latin, literally: under the rose; from the rose that, in ancient times, was hung over the council table, as a token of secrecy

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