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Privy

 - 5 dictionary results

priv⋅y

  [priv-ee] adjective, priv⋅i⋅er, priv⋅i⋅est, noun, plural priv⋅ies.
Use Privy in a Sentence
–adjective
1. participating in the knowledge of something private or secret (usually fol. by to): Many persons were privy to the plot.
2. private; assigned to private uses.
3. belonging or pertaining to some particular person, esp. with reference to a sovereign.
4. secret, concealed, hidden, or secluded.
5. acting or done in secret.
–noun
6. outhouse (def. 1).
7. Law. a person participating directly in or having a derivative interest in a legal transaction.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME prive < OF: private (adj.), close friend, private place (n.) < L prīvātus private
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Privy
priv·y   (prĭv'ē)   
adj.  

  1. Made a participant in knowledge of something private or secret: was privy to classified information.

  2. Belonging or proper to a person, such as the British sovereign, in a private rather than official capacity.

  3. Secret; concealed.

n.   pl. priv·ies

    1. An outdoor toilet; an outhouse.

    2. A toilet.

  2. Law One of the parties having an interest in the same matter.


[Middle English prive, from Old French, from Latin prīvātus, private, from prīvus, single, alone; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
privy

  1. n.
    an outdoor toilet; any toilet. : Uncle Paul was out in the privy.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

privy  (adj.)
"private," c.1225, from O.Fr. privé, from L. privatus (see private). Meaning "participating in a secret" (usually with to) is attested from 1390. The noun meaning "toilet" is c.1225, from O.Fr. privé, from the adj. Privy Council is from c.1300 in a general sense; specifically of the British government, first attested 1375, as consaile priue.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: privy
Pronunciation: 'pri-vE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural priv·ies
Etymology: Anglo-French privé, from Old French, intimate, confidant, from privé intimate, familiar, from Latin privatus private
: one having privity; especially : one who acquires an interest in the subject matter (as property) of prior or pending litigation and is bound by the judgment as if he or she were a party to the action
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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