Anonymously

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /əˈnɒnəməsli/

Definitions

1. In a fashion that maintains secrecy regarding one's identity while allowing actions to occur without personal attribution
2. Conducted in a way that hides the identity of the person involved
3. Done without disclosing the identity of the individual responsible

Etymology: "Anonymously" is simply "anonymous" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached. The adjective comes from Ancient Greek "anōnumos", built from "an-", meaning "without", and "onuma", meaning "name", so the word literally means "nameless." The Greek form passed into Late Latin as "anonymus" and then into English, where the adjective took its place in the language. The ending has an older history of its own. The "-ly" comes from Old English "-līce", which descends from a Germanic word meaning "body" or "form," so that "-ly" once carried the sense of "in the manner of" or "in the form of." Attaching it to "anonymous" produces a word meaning "in a nameless manner," which is exactly what the adverb describes: an action done without the doer's name being given.

Synonyms: secretly, undisclosed, unidentified

Antonyms: openly, publicly, identified