Anonymity
/ˌænəˈnɪmɪti/noun
The state of being unknown or unnamed.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Greek, where a- means “without” and onoma means “name,” so anonymity is not just privacy—it is linguistic erasure by design.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃nómn̥
“name”
Ancient Greek
Greek
anōnymos
“without a name, nameless”
Late Latin
Latin
anonymus
“nameless”
16th Century
English
anonymous
“without a name; of unknown identity”
17th Century
English
anonymity
“the condition of being anonymous”
Modern English
English
anonymity
“the state of being unknown or unnamed”