sub rosa

American  

[suhb roh-zuh] / sʌb ˈroʊ zə /

adverb

1. confidentially; secretly; privately.

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sub rosa British  

/ ˈrəʊzə /

adverb

1. in secret

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Etymology

Origin of sub rosa

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