privy
- 01 C1 Advanced
adj.to be told secret or private information.
adj.sharing in the knowledge of something secret or private. Usually follows the verb 'to be' and takes the preposition 'to'.
Simple“Only a few senior managers were privy to the plan to sell the company.”
In context“The legal counsel was privy to the sensitive negotiations, ensuring that all confidentiality agreements remained intact throughout the merger.”
UsageAlmost always used in the phrase 'privy to [something]'.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
n.a small building outside a house used as a toilet.
n.an outdoor toilet, typically a small structure over a pit; a latrine or outhouse.
Simple“The old farmhouse didn't have indoor plumbing, so we had to use a privy in the garden.”
In context“Archaeologists excavated the site of the eighteenth-century privy, discovering discarded pottery that offered clues about the residents' daily lives.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is archaic or historical; in modern English, speakers use 'toilet' or 'restroom'.
Synonymsouthouselatrine - 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a person who has a legal interest in a contract or case even if they are not the main person involved.
n.a person who has a legal interest in a matter, such as a contract or property, through a relationship with one of the primary parties.
Simple“The court had to decide if the new owner was a privy to the original agreement.”
In context“Under the doctrine of privity, a privy may be bound by the results of a previous legal judgment even if they were not a named defendant.”
Synonyms
From Middle English pryvy, prive, from Old French privé (“private”), from Latin prīvātus (“deprived”), perfect passive participle of prīvō (“I bereave, deprive; I free, release”). Doublet of private.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.