private

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpraɪ.vət/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English privat, borrowed from Latin prīvātus (“set apart from public life, belonging to oneself”),^[2][3][4] originally the past participle of prīvāre (“to deprive, release”),^[2][3][5] from prīvus (“one's own, single, individual”).^[2][3][4] Etymonline traces prīvus to Proto-Italic *prei-wo- (“separate, individual”) and Proto-Indo-European *per- (“forward”), with a shift from “being in front” to “being separate”.^[3] It is related to deprive, privilege, privation and privy.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Withdrawn or set apart from the public body, applied by Wycliffe to the religious orders: about 1380,^[8][7] or probably 1384.^[2] Etymonline gives “belonging to oneself, not shared” from the late 14th century.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that Old English had syndrig in this sense.^[3] Of persons, “not holding public office”, it is from the early 15th century,^[3][8] and of a place, “not open to the public”, from the 15th century.^[7] Of communications, “secret, confidential”, it is from the 1550s,^[3] and in private from the 1580s.^[3] A private soldier, one without rank, is from 1579,^[8] and the noun private in this military sense from 1781.^[3] Earlier the noun meant a private citizen, from the 1590s.^[3] A private school, run by individuals for profit, is from the 1650s,^[3] private parts from 1785,^[3] and private detective from 1868.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1380 – set apart (Wycliffe).^[8]
• early 15th century – not holding office.^[3]
• 1550s – confidential.^[3]
• 1579 – private soldier.^[8]
• 1580s – in private.^[3]
• 1650s – private school.^[3]
• 1781 – noun, a private soldier.^[3]
• 1785 – private parts.^[3]
• 1868 – private detective.^[8]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Secluded from others; intended for one's own use.
2. Of or belonging to an individual; personal.
3. Not open to the public: a private club.
4. Not holding public office; not official.
5. Secret, confidential.
6. Owned or run by individuals rather than the state: the private sector.

Noun

1. A soldier of the lowest rank.
2. (privates) The genitals.

Word family

• privately
• privateness
• privateer
• privatise
• privatism
• privatize
• semiprivate
• unprivate

Related words

• privacy
• deprive
• privilege
• privation
• privy

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press