PRIVY
What does "PRIVY" mean?
Sharing in the knowledge of something secret; also an old word for an outdoor toilet.
Meanings
- Having knowledge of something private or secret, usually followed by 'to'. Only a few aides were privy to the plan.
- A small outdoor structure housing a toilet; an outhouse. The old farmhouse still had a privy at the edge of the yard. archaic
- Belonging or relating to a particular person, especially a monarch, in a private capacity. The Privy Council advised the Crown on matters of state. formal
Did you know?
- The same word names a secret-keeper, an outhouse, and the monarch's inner cabinet: Britain's Privy Council still advises the Crown today, all from Latin for 'private'.
Word origin
From Old French 'prive' (private, intimate), from Latin 'privatus' (set apart, private); the toilet sense arose because a privy was a 'private' place.
Remember it
PRIVY = PRIVate + Y - both being 'in the know' and the 'private' toilet trace back to Latin 'privatus'.
A little poem
One word for those who hold the secret tight,
and one small shed beyond the porch's light-
the private and the privy share the right.
tercet
Wordplay
- He claimed to be privy to all the palace secrets. Turns out he just spent a lot of time in the outhouse.
What it teaches
To be privy to a secret is a kind of privacy you hold for someone else - guard it like it were your own.
Quick facts
What does PRIVY mean?
Sharing in the knowledge of something secret; also an old word for an outdoor toilet.
Is PRIVY a valid word?
Yes — PRIVY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is PRIVY?
PRIVY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does PRIVY come from?
From Old French 'prive' (private, intimate), from Latin 'privatus' (set apart, private); the toilet sense arose because a privy was a 'private' place.
What can PRIVY teach us?
To be privy to a secret is a kind of privacy you hold for someone else - guard it like it were your own.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.