privy
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privy
- /ˈpɹɪvi/
Rhymes with -ɪvi
Where it comes from
From Middle English pryvy, prive, from Old French privé (“private”), from Latin prīvātus (“deprived”), perfect passive participle of prīvō (“to bereave, deprive; to free, release”). Doublet of private.
adjective more privy · most privy · privie
- Private, exclusive; not public; one's own. The king retreated to his privy chamber.
- Secret, hidden, concealed. Nonetheless, in the dark and privy stillness of our minds there are few of us who are not still haunted by worrisome doubts.
- With knowledge of; party to; let in on. He was privy to the discussions.
noun privies · privie
- An outdoor facility for urination and defecation, whether open (latrine) or enclosed (outhouse).
- A lavatory: a room with a toilet. To counteract these degrading effects he advised that the privy should be in every house the room nearest to heaven, […].
- A toilet: a fixture used for urination and defecation. Arconum—I found two chairs wanting in the gentlemen's room, and the bath room attached applied to other purposes... the privies and urinaries clean...
- A partaker; one having an interest in an action, contract, etc. to which he is not himself a party.
