Etymologically
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privo

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 08:42. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈpriː.woː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpriː.vo][1]

Forms

prīvō (present infinitive prīvāre, perfect active prīvāvī, supine prīvātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from prīvus “single, own, apart” with the verbal suffix -ō, from Proto-Italic *preiwos.[2][1][3] Gaffiot explains its first sense as “to set apart”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Ennius, of depriving of life.[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to deprive, rob of something, as Plautus' courtesan who robbed his master of goods, light and honour, and with vītā to kill.[2][3] It meant to debar from the use of something, as in Terence, and to free from a disadvantage, relieve, as Cicero's prīvārī dolōre “to be free of pain”.[2][4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to withhold, deprive, free from.[6] It survives in French priver and Italian, Spanish and Portuguese privare, privar.[1] English private comes from its participle prīvātus, and English deprive from Medieval Latin dēprīvāre in the mid-14th century.[7]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of depriving of life.[2][5]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of robbing of goods.[3][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of release from pain.[4][5]
  • mid-14th century – English deprive is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To deprive, rob (of).[2]
  2. To debar (from).[2]
  3. To free, relieve (from).[2]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com