sub rosa

sub ro·sa

S s

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [suhb italian raw-zah]
- /sʌb italian ˈrɔ zɑ/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [suhb italian raw-zah]
- /sʌb italian ˈrɔ zɑ/

Definitions of sub rosa words

adverb sub rosa confidentially; secretly; privately. 1
adverb sub rosa confidentially, secretly 1
adverb sub rosa in secret 0
noun sub rosa secretly; privately; confidentially 0

See all 4 definitions of sub rosa

Information block about the term

Origin of sub rosa

First appearance:

before 1920

One of the 12% newest English words

First recorded in 1920-25, sub rosa is from the Latin word 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

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Sub rosa

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Sub rosa

sub rosa popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 46% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 55% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

sub rosa usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for sub rosa

adj sub rosa

backstage — In a theatre, backstage refers to the areas behind the stage.
behind the scenes — happening or conducted out of view of the general public: The behind-the-scenes preparations made the convention a huge success.
behind-the-scenes — If something is done behind the scenes, it is done secretly rather than publicly.
black-market — to black-marketeer.
covert — Covert activities or situations are secret or hidden.

adv sub rosa

behind one's back — without one's knowledge; secretly or deceitfully
behind someone's back — without someone's knowledge or consent
clandestinely — characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, especially for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious: Their clandestine meetings went undiscovered for two years.
confidentially — Confidentially is used to say that what you are telling someone is a secret and should not be discussed with anyone else.
covertly — concealed; secret; disguised.

adjective sub rosa

extralegal — (of an action or situation) beyond the authority of the law; not regulated by the law.
outlawed — a lawless person or habitual criminal, especially one who is a fugitive from the law.

All 21 Synonyms of sub rosa