segredo

Segredo is a masculine noun in Portuguese that denotes something hidden, unknown, or kept from others. It derives from Latin secretum, through Romance languages, and originally meant a thing kept apart or private. In Portuguese, segredo can refer to information intentionally concealed or something not yet known or disclosed. The plural is segredos.

Common expressions include guardar segredo (to keep a secret); em segredo (secretly, confidentially); segredo de Estado (state secret); segredo de justiça (court secrecy). The term also appears in phrases about personal or familial confidences, for example manter um segredo de família (to keep a family secret). Segredo can carry connotations of trust, privacy, or risk depending on context.

Segredo is a frequent theme in literature and media, where revelations drive plot and character development. It also appears in legal and governmental contexts, where secrecy is justified for security, privacy, or ongoing investigations. In everyday language, secrets may serve practical functions such as protecting relationships or safeguarding information, but they can also create tension or conflict when disclosed.

Translations and related terms vary by language. In English, segredo typically translates as secret or confidential information; in Spanish, secreto; in Italian, segreto. Related Portuguese terms include sigilo (a more formal or persistent state of secrecy or confidentiality) and mistério (mystery), which carries a sense of something unknown rather than something intentionally kept hidden.