Fwd: A.Word.A.Day--sub rosa

[Dave Monroe]

http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/slowlearner/rose.html

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Wordsmith <wsmith at wordsmith.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 00:04:33 -0500
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sub rosa
To: against.the.dave at gmail.com

This week's theme: Words coined after flowers

sub rosa (sub RO-zuh) adverb

   Secretly, privately, or confidentially.

[From Latin sub (under) rosa (rose). Earliest documented use: 1654. The
English term "under the rose" is also used to refer to something in secret.]

NOTES: In Roman mythology, Venus's son Cupid gave a rose to Harpocrates,
the god of silence, to ensure his silence about Venus's many indiscretions.
Thus the flower became a symbol of secrecy. Ceilings of Roman banquet halls
were decorated with roses to indicate that what was said sub vino (under the
influence of wine) was also sub rosa.

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=sub+rosa

http://wordsmith.org/words/images/sub_rosa_large.jpg
Photo: edlimphoto http://www.flickr.com/photos/edlimphoto/4014347598/

 "'Much of this goes on sub rosa and never comes to public view,' said
   Wesley Wark."
   Peter Goodspeed; Vladimir Putin's Support of Spying; National Post
   (Canada); Jan 23, 2012.

Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/sub_rosa.mp3

Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/sub_rosa.html
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