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I know that the translation of "anonymous" is anōnymus. However, it's a bit unclear which suffix to augment this with. I'm trying to determine the phrase "Privacy in anonymity" in Latin.

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  • Your question was slightly open-ended. If you provide more context for the phrase (what do you exactly want to say with it?), please edit your question or leave a comment, so you can get a better translation. Also, I suggest going through our tour to get an overview of this site. For example, it seems that you have never voted on any SE sites. You must have seen some good questions or answers. (It might be better not to accept too soon. Someone might have a better answer if you wait for a day or two.) Anyway, welcome to the site!
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Apr 14, 2017 at 1:31

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There are a couple of suffices to use in cases like this. The most common and productive one seems to be -itas, so I would suggest anonymitas (feminine, third declension).

Sometimes also the substantivized neuter can work well. Lewis Elementary suggests that this works for "privacy". Therefore I would translate "privacy in anonymity" directly as privatum in anonymitate.

The direct translation might not be the best one; it depends on what you want to say exactly. Perhaps anonymitas privata or res privata per anonymitatem might be better. It is hard to translate slogans without context.

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  • Thank you! I suppose what I am trying to say matches the meaning of this sentence: "One can find privacy in anonymity". That is to say, if no one knows who you are (or who an item of yours belongs to), you maintain your privacy to some degree. I'll be writing it on the inside cover of a journal in lieu of my name.
    – John LeSaint
    Apr 14, 2017 at 1:31
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    @JohnLeSaint Would "privacy through anonymity" (privatum per anonymitatem) be a good option, then? Perhaps it would be better to use something other than privatum for "privacy" for the risk of misinterpretation, but I don't recall seeing -itas with participles and privatitas sounds fishy.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Apr 14, 2017 at 1:35
  • I would defer to your best judgement here! This is more for personal fulfillment than anything; if my journal ever is found by someone else down the road who takes interest in this phrase, I'll just have to hope that they can deduce the intended meaning! Thanks again.
    – John LeSaint
    Apr 14, 2017 at 1:41

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