incognito

See also: incógnito

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian incognito, from Latin incognitus (“unknown”), from in- (“not”) +‎ cognitus (“known”), perfect passive participle of cognoscere.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪnkɒɡˈniːtoʊ/, /ˌɪnˈkɒɡnɪtoʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːtəʊ
• Hyphenation: in‧cog‧ni‧to

Adjective

incognito (not comparable)

1. Without being known; in an assumed character, or under an assumed title; in disguise.

   Coordinate term: incognita

   • 1703, Mat[thew] Prior, “The Ladle”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], published 1709, →OCLC, stanza 1, page 125:

     THE Scepticks think 'twas long ago, / Since Gods came down Incognito; / To ſee who were their Friends or Foes, / And how our Actions fell or roſe.

Usage notes

• This term is used especially of great personages who sometimes adopt a disguise or an assumed character in order to avoid notice.

Derived terms

• incognegro

Translations

without being known; in an assumed character, or under an assumed title; in disguise

Arabic: مَجْهُول m (majhūl) Dutch: incognito (nl) Finnish: tuntematon (fi) Hungarian: inkognitó (hu) Icelandic: huldu höfði Portuguese: incógnito (pt) Russian: инко́гнито (ru) (inkógnito) Spanish: incógnito (es) Swedish: inkognito (sv)

Adverb

incognito (not comparable)

1. Without revealing one's identity.
   • 1709 May 30 (Gregorian calendar), Isaac Bickerstaff [et al., pseudonyms; Richard Steele et al.], “Thursday, May 19, 1709”, in The Tatler, number 17; republished in [Richard Steele], editor, The Tatler, […], London stereotype edition, volume I, London: I. Walker and Co.;  […], 1822, →OCLC:

     The prince royal of Prussia came thither incognito.

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • 1891 June 25, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Adventure I.—A Scandal in Bohemia.”, in Geo[rge] Newnes, editor, The Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, volume II, London: George Newnes, Limited, […], published July 1891, →OCLC, page 65, column 2:

     "But you can understand," said our strange visitor, sitting down once more and passing his hand over his high white forehead, "you can understand that I am not accustomed to doing such business in my own person. Yet the matter was so delicate that I could not confide it to an agent without putting myself in his power. I have come incognito from Prague for the purpose of consulting you."

Translations

without revealing one's identity

Catalan: d'incògnit (ca) Dutch: incognito (nl) Finnish: tuntemattomana, nimettömästi (fi), inkognito (fi) Hungarian: inkognitóban (hu) Icelandic: huldu höfði, undir dulnefni, undir fölsku nafni Norwegian: Bokmål: inkognito Nynorsk: inkognito Polish: incognito (pl) Portuguese: incognitamente Russian: инко́гнито (ru) (inkógnito) Spanish: de incógnito Swedish: inkognito (sv)

Noun

incognito (countable and uncountable, plural incognitos)

1. One unknown or in disguise, or under an assumed character or name.

   Coordinate term: incognita

2. The assumption of disguise or of a feigned character; the state of being in disguise or not recognized.

   Coordinate term: incognita

   • 1829 January 1, Walter Scott, “General Preface”, in Waverley (Waverley Novels; I), Edinburgh: […] Cadell & Company; London: Simpkin and Marshall, page xxxii:

     Of those letters, and other attempts of the same kind, the author could not complain, though his incognito was endangered. He had challenged the public to a game at bo-peep, and if he was discovered in his “hiding-hole,” he must submit to the shame of detection.

   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 169:

     It contained a letter from the King himself, craving hospitality for a few days, as his mother was about to visit England, and to take up with Lord Avonleigh her residence at the Castle. A slight incognito would be preserved, and as little form and ceremony expected as was possible.

Anagrams

• cognition

French

Etymology

From Italian.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.kɔ.ɲi.to/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

incognito

1. incognito

Adjective

incognito (plural incognitos)

1. incognito

Noun

incognito m (plural incognitos)

1. incognito

Further reading

• “incognito”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Indonesian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian incognito, from Latin incognitus.

Adjective

incognito (comparative lebih incognito, superlative paling incognito)

1. incognito

Adverb

incognito

1. incognito

Further reading

• “incognito” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.