Where does “privilege” come from?
Privilege comes from Old French privilege, a legal term for a special right or exemption granted to an individual or group.
privilege (English): An exemption from certain laws granted by the...
Definitions
- An exemption from certain laws granted by the...
Ancestry of “privilege”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | privilege | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | privilege | privilege |
| 3 | Latin | prīvilēgium | A law or bill concerning a specific individual |
| 4 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 5 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |