Privies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A structure or facility used for personal hygiene and sanitation, often outdoors, like a toilet or latrine
2. Spaces or areas that are secluded or private, providing individual comfort or retreat
3. Individuals who possess knowledge or access to confidential or sensitive information about a situation or event

Etymology: "Privies" is simply the plural of "privy", and the plural points to the word's real surprise: the noun that now means an outhouse began as a word for something entirely private. "Privy" came into Middle English from Old French "privé", meaning "private", which itself descends from Latin "prīvātus", meaning "deprived" or "set apart from others". The same Latin root gives us "private" in its ordinary sense, and the two words are doublets, meaning they reached English by separate routes from one source. The noun grew out of the adjective's sense of being kept apart from public view. A privy was a place of withdrawal, so a room or closet set aside for private use came to mean a toilet, and the adjective's sense of seclusion narrowed to that single purpose. Over time the word attached itself to the outdoor, often shared, facilities that were common in villages and farms, which is why it still suggests a backyard structure today.

Synonyms: toilets, lavatories, restrooms, bathrooms