Going incognito was once a formal diplomatic status for traveling royalty — not just a disguise but a protocol that exempted kings from ceremonial obligations.
With one's true identity concealed; under an assumed name or in disguise.
From Italian incognito (unknown, unrecognized), from Latin incognitus (unknown, not investigated), from in- (not) + cognitus, past participle of cognoscere (to learn, to know, to recognize), from co- (together) + gnoscere (to know), from PIE *ǵneh₃- (to know). Key roots: *ǵneh₃- (Proto-Indo-European: "to know, to recognize").
Going incognito was once a serious matter of royal protocol. When monarchs traveled incognito, it was not merely a disguise but a formal diplomatic status — it meant they could visit foreign countries without requiring the full ceremonial reception that their rank demanded. Peter the Great famously