Etymology

privacy

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Today it means: The state of being secluded from the presence, sight, or knowledge of others. Full definition →

English priv(ate) ← Middle English privat(e) ← Latin prīvātus
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Italic*prei
  3. Proto-Italic*preiwos
  4. Latinprīvus
  5. Latinprīvō
  6. Latinprīvātus
  7. Middle Englishprivat(e)
  8. Englishpriv(ate)
  9. English todayprivacy

From priv(ate) + -acy.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.