Privacy Policy
privacy (n.):
from private (adj.) + abstract noun suffix -cy
1590s, “a private matter, a secret;”
Earlier was privatie from Old French privauté.
late 14c. as “secret, mystery;”
c. 1400 as “a secret, secret deed; solitude, privacy”
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SECRET SOCIETIES: “a compilation of existing authentic information and the results of original investigation as to more than six hundred secret societies in the United States” —The cyclopædia of fraternities (1899)
c. 1600 as “seclusion,”
beginning 1814, “state of freedom from intrusion”
SECRET DOOR TO GREAT HALL FROM LIBRARY, NORTH WALL - Stan Hywet Hall, 714 North Portage Path, Akron, Summit County, OH
private (adj.):
late 14c.
“pertaining or belonging to oneself, not shared, individual; not open to the public”
of a religious rule, “not shared by Christians generally, distinctive”
from Latin privatus “set apart, belonging to oneself (not to the state), peculiar, personal”
used in contrast to publicus, communis
past participle of privare “to separate, deprive”
from privus “one's own, individual,”
from Proto-Italic *prei-wo- “separate, individual”
from PIE *prai-, *prei- “in front of, before”
from root *per- (1) “forward”
The semantic shift would be from “being in front” to “being separate.”
Old English in this sense had syndrig.
Private grew popular 17c. as an alternative to common (adj.), which had overtones of condescension.
Of persons, “not holding public office,” recorded from early 15c.
In private “privily” is from 1580s. Related: Privately.
private school from 1650s
private property by 1680s
private parts “the pudenda” from 1785
private enterprise first recorded 1797
private eye “private detective” recorded from 1938, American English.
private sector, private sectoris from 1948
Private Information Map: “Centric Model of the Digitally Extended Self: Personal data categorized into digital footsteps, third party digital footsteps, digital mosaic, digital persona, and third party data showing the movement of data between organizations.” by Brian Parkinson
private (n.):
1590s, “private citizen”
short for private person “individual not involved in government” (early 15c.)
from Latin privatus “man in private life,” noun use of the adjective
1781 in the military sense
short for Private soldier “one below the rank of a non-commissioned officer” (1570s)
from private (adj.).
-- adapted from: Online Etymology Dictionary*