English
private
Private comes from Middle English privat ‘individual, exclusive, private’, from Latin prīvātus ‘bereaved, deprived, set apart from, release’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*preireconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*preiwos‘separate’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīvus‘single’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīvō‘to bereave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīvātus‘bereaved’perfect passive participle of prīvō
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500privat‘individual’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596private
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*preireconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*preiwos‘separate’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīvus‘single’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīvō‘to bereave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīvātus‘bereaved’perfect passive participle of prīvō
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500privat‘individual’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596private
Earliest quotation: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “The Count Meloone, a Noble Lord of France, Whose…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *per-
first, before, support, far, per, report, further, fear, opportunity, press, practice, price, port, pre, afford, ford, primary, forth, pregnant, prior, prime, practical, appreciate, parade, par, precious, prize, praise, ferry, fare, porch, interpretation, pardon, pirate, afar, primitive, pore, petra, prix, proton, 156 more
through Latin prīvus ‘single’
through Latin prīvātus ‘bereaved, deprived, set apart from, release’
Today it means
adj Belonging or pertaining to an individual person, group of people, or entity that is not the state.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *per- / private