Sub Rosa

[Eutychus]

Something kept in secret is said to be "sub rosa." Now I understand the latin meaning "under the rose." But what exactly did it mean to be "under the rose."

[pkbites]

I've seen this term used in documents by some of our insurance clients. It usually has to do with conducting surveillance, or some other type of investigation.

[Arjuna34]

As mentioned in the OP, it means "under cover" or "kept silent". This page http://209.1.224.12/Athens/Forum/6946/mythology/harpocrates.html has a short explanation of how the rose became a symbol of silence in the middle ages.

Arjuna34

[Ringo]

Two possible explanations from Double Barrelled Latin Phrases (http://www.citi.net/home/egypt/links/lex.html):

SUB ROSA
(sub-ROH-sa): "under the rose," though debate rages as to whether it was the rose Cupid gave someone as a bribe not to gossip about the affairs of Venus, or the rose carried by the Egyptian god Horus in a statue that also showed him with his finger to lips, or some other rose altogether. Anyway, sub rosa means in confidence; with secrecy expresssed or implied, clandestinely.

And here (http://www.privacy.nb.ca/cryptography/archives/cryptography/html/1997-11/0121.html)'s a cryptography message board that has a discussion on the subject.

[mipsman]

I heard a long time ago that sub rosa refered to the sections written in red in medieval church books having to do with procedures or rituals. Things written in black were read out loud, those written in red were directions or things that were not said out loud. Thus, things listed under the red sections were "hidden" from the congregation.

[Osip]

Well, Euty.
I remember seeing the explanation in a book called "Brotherhood of the Rose". I cannot recall the complete explanation since it has been a while.

It was an AWSOME book if you like suspense, spy kind of books. Check it out and read it!

Osip