privé French · revision 38666

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1140, Geffrei Gaimar|origins=la prīvus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /pʁi.ve/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''privé''' (feminine privée, masculine plural privés, feminine plural privées)^(Wiktionary)

+ Anglo-Norman [[m|xno|prevé]], [[m|xno|privee]], [[m|xno|privy]] and other spellings.^(AND)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|privé]], [[inh|la|prīvātus|t=particular, one's own, individual, (as a noun) a private citizen]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|9, 396b) The Latin word is the past participle of [[m|la|prīvō|t=to set apart; to deprive]], from [[m|la|prīvus|t=single, one's own, peculiar]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873) Rey takes the first sense of the adjective to have been “set apart in front”, from a stem also seen in [[m|la|prior|t=former]] and [[m|la|prīmus|t=first]], part of an Indo-European family of words expressing a position in front.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|privato]], [[oc|privat]] and [[es|privado]].^(Littré 1873)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The English word [[m|en|privy]] comes from the Anglo-Norman adjective.^(AND)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLFi notes ''privé'' “familiar, living in someone's intimacy” in Rashi's glosses (late 11th century); the first French texts are Geffrei Gaimar's ''Estoire des Engleis'' (about 1140), with the sense “intimate” and in ''meisnee privee'', a lord's household.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old French the word was often used of excessive familiarity: of a master too close to his servants, a skilful thief or a man with free manners (compare [[privauté]]).^(DHLF 1992) As a noun, ''un privé'' was an intimate friend (about 1140), and ''en son privé'' meant “in private” (about 1180), now ''en privé''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''Privé conseil'' meant a secret thought (1174) and later the king's council of his closest advisers.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The adjective was applied to a [[m|en|tame]] animal (about 1160), whence the verb ''priver'' “to tame” (1476); both senses have gone out of use.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The noun ''privée'' (13th century), later ''privé'' (1538), also meant a privy, from the secluded place it occupied.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The second main sense, “taking no part in public affairs”, dates from Middle French (''privée personne'', 1367).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The adjective then came to mean “unofficial” and was opposed to “public”, “political” and “social”, as in the legal ''acte sous seing privé'' (1690), a deed made without a notary.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) In contrast with the state sector it qualifies private enterprise, and as a noun ''le privé'' is the private sector;^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007) ''un privé'' is also a private detective, mostly in an American setting.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1140 – “Intimate” and ''meisnee privee'' in Geffrei Gaimar.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1160 – “Tame”, in the ''Roman d'Eneas''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1174 – ''Privé conseil'' “secret thought”, in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1180 – ''En sun privé'', in Thomas's ''Tristan''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1367 – ''Privée personne'', someone with no public role.^(TLFi)

+ * 1538 – ''Privé'' “privy”, in Robert Estienne.^(DHLF 1992)^(BHVF)

+ * 1690 – ''Acte sous seing privé'', in Furetière.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Not open to the public: ''un chemin privé'', ''une plage privée'', ''en privé'', in private, between two people.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # [[m|en|individual|alt=Individual]], particular, as opposed to collective or public: ''la propriété privée''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Personal, [[m|en|intimate]]: ''la vie privée''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)

+ # Having no part in public affairs; unofficial: ''à titre privé'', ''(law)'' ''droit privé'', ''acte sous seing privé''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # Not run by the state: ''une clinique privée'', ''le secteur privé''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(dated)'' [[m|en|tame|alt=Tame]]: ''un sanglier privé''.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''Le privé'': private life, intimacy, ''(familiar)'' the private sector: ''travailler dans le privé''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(familiar)'' A private [[m|en|detective]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[privauté]]

+ * [[privatiser]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[priver]]

+ * [[la|prīvātus]]

+ * [[en|privy]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Privé'' is also the past participle of [[priver]] “to deprive” (''privé de'', “deprived of”), which comes from the same Latin family.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(AND)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}