Talk:in pectore

Latin not Italian

Start by looking up the standalone word pectore on Wiktionary. It's not Italian. It's the "ablative singular of pectus", a Latin word.

• https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/In_Petto
  • The Catholic Encyclopedia: defines in petto as "An Italian translation of the Latin in pectore, "in the breast","

• https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/06/archives/pope-at-installation-of-cardinals-details-possible-reforms-in.html
  • New York Times 1973: "The Pope revealed the identity of the two churchmen whose names he had, according to the old Latin formula, kept “in pectore” (“in his breast”), or “secret” when he made them Cardinals in April, 1969, together with 33 other prelates."

• https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/19/world/john-paul-creates-22-more-cardinals-including-2-american-archbishops.html
  • New York Times 1998: "The names of the two secret appointments -- the Pope used the Latin term in pectore or within the breast -- are being withheld"

• https://books.google.com/books?id=ahTU3koVfLEC&pg=PA68
  • Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession (Oxford University Press, 2004): "the so-called cardinals in pectore (Latin, "in the heart"), whose names are kept by the pope..."

• https://books.google.com/books?id=x2lJAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA651&
  • Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (Cassell, 1898): See the definition of In Petto, which gives the equivalent "(in pectore [Latin], in the breast)"

• https://books.google.com/books?id=p6_KRzXsnKIC&pg=PA187&
  • Latin for the Illiterati: Exorcizing the Ghosts of a Dead Language (Psychology Press, 1996): "in secret: in pectore" in the English-Latin Index

• https://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-use-tor-anonymity-online-collaboration-wikipedia-threats-andrea-forte-study-2016-10
  • Business Insider 2015, with respect to a quote from Jimmy Wales (emphasis added)
  • Quote: In 2015, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales made an unusual announcement for the Wikipedian of the Year: in pectore. That's not an online pseudonym — It's Latin for "in the heart," a term used by the Catholic Church to honour people who, if their contributions were to be made public, under their real names, would be placed in danger." See also: In pectore.

• Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 18:31, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

• I believe that it is a Latin expression borrowed into Italian. SemperBlotto (talk) 19:04, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

Yet Italian WP tells us it's Latin. It's a Latin phrase borrowed by the Catholic Church. But when Italians use it they know they are using a Latin phase, however familiar and however it might sound Italian-ish to an Anglophone. It's raison d'être, not ambiance. 2601:182:CF01:C80:2890:126A:B3E:73A1 22:23, 19 January 2024 (UTC)