Privy Means Both an Outdoor Toilet and Being in the Know
Privy means having private knowledge of something. The same word also names an outdoor toilet, and both come from privacy.
Privy means sharing in the secret knowledge of something, as in *privy to the plan*. It also means an outdoor toilet, and the two are the same word: Latin *privatus*, private, gave both. A privy was simply the private place, exactly as *lavatory*, *bathroom* and *restroom* are all polite substitutions for the same thing. The British *Privy Council* keeps the older sense: the monarch's private council of advisers.
- Sharing secret knowledge. *Privy to the decision.*
- An outdoor toilet. *An old privy.*
- Privy Council — the monarch's advisers. *The Privy Council.*
- Privy purse — the sovereign's private income. *The privy purse.*
- Latin — *privatus*, private. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | privy | Privy to it. |
| Noun | privy | The privy. |
| Plural | privies | Privies. |
| Related | private | Private. |
| Latin | privatus | Private. |
- Only three people were privy to the plan.Knowledge.
- The cottage still has an old privy.Toilet.
- He was sworn to the Privy Council.Government.
Polite words for the same room
- Privy — the private place
- Lavatory — from Latin *lavare*, to wash
- Bathroom — American, though it may contain no bath
- Restroom — American, from an earlier lounge sense
- Loo — British, origin genuinely disputed
Old French *privé*, private or intimate, from Latin *privatus*, withdrawn from public life.
Why does privy mean both a toilet and in the know?
Both come from private: a privy is the private place, and being privy to something is sharing in private knowledge.
What is the Privy Council?
The British monarch's formal body of advisers, named from the older sense of privy meaning private.