privy

[priv-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR privy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, priv·i·er, priv·i·est.

participating in the knowledge of something private or secret (usually followed by to): Many persons were privy to the plot.

private; assigned to private uses.

belonging or pertaining to some particular person, especially with reference to a sovereign.

secret, concealed, hidden, or secluded.

acting or done in secret.

noun, plural priv·ies.

outhouse(def 1).

Law. a person participating directly in or having a derivative interest in a legal transaction.

Origin of privy

1175–1225; Middle English prive < Old French: private (adj.), close friend, private place (noun) < Latin prīvātus private

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for privies

latrine, bathroom, lavatory, outbuilding, toilet, outhouse, urinal, restroom, pot, privy, washroom, head, john, throne, commode, can, W.C., potty, johnny

Examples from the Web for privies

Historical Examples of privies

Danger, from drainage of barns and barnyards, 137;from leachings from privies and cesspools, 138.
Rural Hygiene
Henry N. Ogden
Stables and privies must be at least a hundred feet from water reservoirs.
Civics and Health
William H. Allen
For non-compliance with notice for the construction of drains, privies, &c., 10s.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley
Great attention is to be paid to the cleanliness of the privies.
Bygones Worth Remembering, Vol. 1 (of 2)
George Jacob Holyoake
Under these circumstances thorough disinfection of the privies checked the spread of the disease.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II
Various

British Dictionary definitions for privies

privy

adjective privier or priviest

(postpositive foll by to) participating in the knowledge of something secret

archaic secret, hidden, etc

archaic of or relating to one person only

noun plural privies

a lavatory, esp an outside one

law a person in privity with anotherSee privity (def. 1)

Word Origin for privy

C13: from Old French privé something private, from Latin prīvātus private

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for privies

privy

adj.

"private," early 13c., from Old French privé "friendly, intimate; a private place," from Latin privatus "private, personal" (see private (adj.)). Meaning "participating in (a secret)" (usually with to) is attested from late 14c. Related: Privily. Privy Council is from c.1300 in a general sense; specifically of the British government, first attested late 14c., as consaile priue. Privy member "organ of sex" is from late 13c.

privy

"toilet," c.1200, from Old French privé, privee "latrine," literally "private place," from noun use of adjective privé (see privy (adj.)).