Where does “incognito” come from?
Incognito derives from Italian incognito, from Latin incognitus meaning unknown, formed from the prefix con- and cognitus meaning known.
incognito (English): Without being known; in an assumed character, or...
Definitions
- Without being known; in an assumed character, or...
Ancestry of “incognito”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | incognito | unknown; unaware; ignorant; incognito |
| 2 | Latin | incognitus | unknown; untried, untested |
| 3 | Latin | cognitus | known (from experience), having been known; recognised, having been recognised; acquainted, having been acquainted |
| 4 | Latin | cognōscere | — |
| 5 | Latin | co- | allomorph of con- |
| 6 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 7 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 8 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 12 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 13 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 14 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 15 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 16 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 17 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |