Privy
/ˈprɪvi/noun
Private or secret; also, a toilet or outhouse.
Did you know?The word comes through Old French from Latin privatus, “set apart, private,” and its toilet meaning arose because this was the secluded place you went when no one was supposed to see.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“To separate, divide off”
Latin
Latin
privus
“Single, individual, one’s own; separate from the public”
Late Latin
Latin
privatus
“Set apart, private”
Old French
Old French
privé
“Private; secret”
Middle English
English
privy
“Private, secret; later, a toilet or latrine”
Modern English
English
privy
“Private; confidential; a toilet”