Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “private sector” come from?

private sector (English) comes from English private, from Latin prīvātus, from Latin prīvō, from French ferriprive, from Latin ferrum, from Cornish -er, from English -er, from Middle English -er.

private sector (English): All organizations in an economy or jurisdiction...

Definitions

  1. All organizations in an economy or jurisdiction...

Ancestry of “private sector”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishprivateBelonging to, concerning, or accessible only to...
2Latinprīvātus—
3Latinprīvō—
4FrenchferripriveSuffering from a deficiency of iron
5Latinferrumiron; any tool made of iron; fight, clash
6Cornish-er—
7English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
8Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
9Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
10Latin-āre—
11Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
12Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
13Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
14Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yé- →