privy
/privy/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Informed about something secret or not generally known: Used with the preposition "to" to indicate that someone has been made aware of confidential or private information.
- Hidden from general view or use; private or secluded: Describes a place that is not public, often implying intimacy or secrecy.
Noun:
- A small outbuilding with a toilet, especially an old-fashioned one: A simple, often outdoor, toilet structure.
- (Law) A person having a direct legal interest in a matter: A party to a legal action or someone with a direct concern in a private transaction.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- She was privy to the company's future plans. (She was informed about the company's confidential future plans.)
- They found a privy corner in the garden to have a quiet talk. (They found a secluded corner in the garden for a quiet talk.)
Noun:
- The old farmhouse had an outdoor privy. (The old farmhouse had an outdoor toilet building.)
- In the legal dispute, he was named as a privy to the contract. (In the legal dispute, he was named as a person with a direct interest in the contract.)
Advanced Usage
- "To be privy to": This is the most common adjectival construction. It is a formal way to say someone shares secret knowledge.
- Only a few executives were privy to the merger discussions.
- Historical/Legal "Privy": In historical or legal contexts, it refers to someone with a direct, personal interest in a case or deed.
- The heir was considered a privy to the estate.
Variants and Related Words
- Privily (adverb, archaic): In a private or secret manner.
- Privity (noun): A legal term for a relationship between parties that is recognized by law, such as mutual interest in a contract.
Synonyms
- Adjective (informed): Aware, cognizant, acquainted, in on.
- Adjective (secluded): Secret, hidden, secluded, confidential.
- Noun (toilet): Outhouse, latrine, water closet (WC), lavatory.
Related Phrases
- Privy Council: A formal body of advisers to a head of state, especially in the UK.
- He was appointed to the Privy Council.
- Lord Privy Seal: A high officer of state in the UK, originally responsible for the monarch's personal seal.
- Privy parts (archaic): A euphemism for genitals.
Adjective
- (followed by `to') informed about something secret or not generally known
- privy to the details of the conspiracy
- hidden from general view or use
- a privy place to rest and think
- a secluded romantic spot
- a secret garden
Noun
- a small outbuilding with a bench having holes through which a user can defecate
- a room or building equipped with one or more toilets