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incognito
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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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)
- 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
Translations
without being known; in an assumed character, or under an assumed title; in disguise
Adverb
incognito (not comparable)
- 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.
- 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
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Noun
incognito (countable and uncountable, plural incognitos)
- One unknown or in disguise, or under an assumed character or name.
- Coordinate term: incognita
- 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
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French
Etymology
From Italian.
Pronunciation
Adverb
incognito
Adjective
incognito (plural incognitos)
Noun
incognito m (plural incognitos)
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)
Adverb
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.
Italian
Latin
Polish
Romanian
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