Privacy
/ˈpraɪ.və.si/noun
The state of being free from public attention or observation.
Did you know?Privacy comes from Latin privus, meaning “single” or “individual,” and its history is tied less to secrecy than to being separated from the public realm.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to sell, traffic, or exchange”
Latin
Latin
privus
“single, individual, one’s own”
Latin
Latin
privatus
“set apart, belonging to an individual rather than the state”
Old French
Old French
privé
“private, personal; also intimate or secret”
Middle English
English
privacie
“private life or secluded condition”
Modern English
English
privacy
“the state of being free from public attention or observation”