in petto
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in petto
Rhymes with -ɛtəʊ
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Italian in petto (“in the chest”).
adjective
- Secret, private. […] it was not unfrequent for a good bargain to be struck with him by one or more of the public functionaries, the difference between the sum proposed and accepted being settled against the interests of Mynheer Krause, by the party putting him in possession of some government movement which hitherto
-
Designated as a cardinal but not yet announced.
In future you will have the right to dress in red — indeed, you are already cardinal in petto, and you will be proclaimed at the next conclave.
Similar: in pectore
adverb
-
Privately, in secret.
And yet, thou brave Teufelsdröckh, who could tell what lurked in thee? […] The secrets of man’s Life were laid open to thee; thou sawest into the mystery of the Universe, farther than another; thou hadst in petto thy remarkable Volume on Clothes.
Similar: behind closed doors
Translations
Every language
adj secret, private
| Español | en el pecho |
|---|---|
| Italiano | in pectore |
adv privately
| Español | en el pecho |
|---|---|
| Français | in petto |
| Italiano | in pectore |
Talk about this word "in petto." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/in%20petto. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. in petto. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/in%20petto "in petto." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/in%20petto.Cite this
@misc{in_petto_2026,
title = {in petto},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/in%20petto},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
