Where does “privy” come from?
Privy comes from Middle English prive, from Old French privé, from Latin privatus, meaning "set apart or withdrawn," derived from Latin privo and Latin privus, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per.
privy (English): Private, exclusive; not public; one's own;...
Definitions
- Private, exclusive; not public; one's own;...
Ancestry of “privy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pryvy | — |
| 2 | Old French | privé | private |
| 3 | Latin | prīvātus | — |
| 4 | Latin | prīvō | — |
| 5 | French | ferriprive | Suffering from a deficiency of iron |
| 6 | Latin | ferrum | iron; any tool made of iron; fight, clash |
| 7 | Cornish | -er | — |
| 8 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 9 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 10 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 11 | Latin | -āre | — |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
Words derived from “privy”