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comparative more privy, superlative most privy
(now chiefly historical) Private, exclusive; not public; one's own.
(now rare, archaic) Secret, hidden, concealed. quotations
Nonetheless, in the dark and privy stillness of our minds there are few of us who are not still haunted by worrisome doubts.
1967, William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Vintage, published 2004, page 82
With knowledge of; party to; let in on. quotations examples
William understood Diana more but idealized her less. He was privy to her volatile love life. He knew the tabloids made her life hell, but he also knew she colluded with them.adapted from the book The Palace Papers, published 2022 by Penguin Books
April 5 2022, Tina Brown, “How Princess Diana’s Dance With the Media Impacted William and Harry”, in Vanity Fair
plural privies
An outdoor facility for urination and defecation, whether open (latrine) or enclosed (outhouse). examples
A lavatory: a room with a toilet. examples
A toilet: a fixture used for urination and defecation. quotations examples
Arconum—I found two chairs wanting in the gentlemen's room, and the bath room attached applied to other purposes... the privies and urinaries clean...
1864 January 26, J.G. Lindsay, letter to P.P.L. O'Connel, §8
(law) A partaker; one having an interest in an action, contract, etc. to which he is not himself a party. examples