privy
/ˈpɹɪvi/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.46 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An outdoor facility for urination and defecation, whether open (latrine) or enclosed (outhouse).
noun
A toilet: a fixture used for urination and defecation.
Example Sentences
- "The king retreated to his privy chamber."
- "the privy purse"
- "Nonetheless, in the dark and privy stillness of our minds there are few of us who are not still haunted by worrisome doubts."
- "He was privy to the discussions."
- "William understood Diana more but idealized her less. He was privy to her volatile love life. He knew the tabloids made her life hell, but he also knew she colluded with them."
- "To counteract these degrading effects he advised that the privy should be in every house the room nearest to heaven, […]."
Etymology
From Middle English pryvy, prive, from Old French privé (“private”), from Latin prīvātus (“deprived”), perfect passive participle of prīvō (“to bereave, deprive; to free, release”). Doublet of private.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: pryvy, privé, prīvātus