Middle English Dictionary Entry
privẹ̄ n.
Entry Info
| Forms | privẹ̄ n. Also privei, privai, privi(e, preve, prevei, prevai, previ & (error) priueþ. |
| Etymology | OF privé n. & privee. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Privacy, secrecy; also, secrets [quot.: Capgr.]; in (on) ~, in secret, privately; in ~, inwardly, at heart [quot.: a1425(a1400)]; (b) litel of ~ noten, to be able to do little in the way of private pleasure; (c) private parts, genitals.
Associated quotations
a
- (1384) Procl.Brembre in Bk.Lond.E.(Gldh LetBk H)31/6 : That no man make none congregaciouns..of poeple in priue nen apert.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))John 7.10 : He stiȝede vp at the feeste day, not opynli, but as in pryuei [WB(2): as in priuyte; L quasi in occulto].
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)2.686 : Alle tho that hadden be Or in apert or in prive Of conseil to the mariage, Sche slowh hem.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Mat.6.18 : Whanne thou fastist, anoynte thin heed and waische thi face that thou be not seen fastynge to men, but to thi fadir that is in hidlis, and thi fadir that seeth in priuey [WB(1): hidlis; L abscondito] shal ȝelde to thee.
- a1425(a1400) Paul.Epist.(Corp-C 32)Rom.2.29 : He is not a Iew þat in apert is onely..but he is verre iew þe whiche is in priue; and circumcysioun of þe herte is in spirite, not in lettre.
- (1432) Paston (Gairdner)2.37 : In speche..unto the King at part and in prive..he hath be..spoken to of diverse materes not behovefull.
- c1436 Ipswich Domesday(2) (Add 25011)103 : That no maner of suche fissh be kept in prive [ID(1): ne seyt concelee] passyng oon nyght.
- c1450 Capgr.Rome (Bod 423)30 : Thei answerd þat, as þe schap of her body was open to alle men be cause of her nakednesse, soo all þe pryuy of þe world were open on to her knowyng.
- c1450 ?C.d'Orl.Poems (Hrl 682)219/6526 : Sore y drede..lest þat my bollyng sighis on preve..my loue biwray.
- (1460) RParl.5.378b : I shall never doo..in prive or apert..any thing that may..sowne to the abriggement of the naturall lyf of Kyng Herry the sixt.
- c1425 Wycl.Antichr.(2) (Dub 245)p.cxvi : He sitteþ in spies wiþ riche men þat he slee an innocent man in prive.
- a1500 St.Brendan Conf.(Lamb 541)11/144 : I schulde lye no lesyng, neþer in priue ne in open.
b
- a1425(?a1350) 7 Sages(2) (Glb E.9)1903 : Þat es þe maner of ald men; Ȝong wemen wil þai spows, And þan be prowd and ful gelows; Bot litel þai mai of preue note, Or els noght; þat dose þam dote.
c
- a1500(?a1425) Lambeth SSecr.(Lamb 501)85/33 : Þys ys þe þrydde medicyne; his properte ys to efforce þe pryue, and namly þe pryncypales.
2.
(a) A privy; also fig.; (b) ~ dore, privy door; ~ hous (place), privy; commune ~, public privy; ~ scourere (squiller), privy cleaner; ~ stol, privy seat; ~ thirl, privy hole; comen to ~, gon (goinge) to ~, sitten at ~.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)3.87 : Tarquinus Priscus..made walles and vices and oþere strong places and priueþ [?read: priueis; vr. pryvey; Higd.(2) necessary thynges; L cloacas].
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pard.(Manly-Rickert)C.527 : A foul thyng is it..That of his throte he maketh his pryuee.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Mch.(Manly-Rickert)E.1954 : Whan she of this bille hath taken hede, She rente it al to cloutes..And in the pryuee softely it caste.
- (1417) Doc.in Sur.Soc.8513 : And also yat the foresayd Thomas make hys pryve fensilble als it awe to be.
- (1419) Doc.in Sur.Soc.8514 : That thay and all other gar clense of thaire costages all the foresayd pryves and rutes.
- (1422) Plea & Mem.in Bk.Lond.E.129/266 : Item, þer is a donghill..þe whiche is noyowse to all þe commune people, kasting out in-to þis land ordour of Prevees and other orrible siȝtis.
- (1423) Doc.Brewer in Bk.Lond.E.147/222 : Robert Smyth dede paie..for..makyng of an privie yn þe same Almeshous.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)4 Kings 10.27 : Thei destrieden the hows of Baal, and maden priuyes [WB(1): waardropis; L latrinas] for it til in to this dai.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 277)26/31 : If þe pacient..may noȝt abstene hym fro þe pryue, In þe mornyng be it clensed.
- (1427-8) Grocer Lond.(Kingdon)170 : In the seyde yeer was be Gunne and full maad the foundement of the parlour and Chaumbre with the vawte chemeneys and preveis.
- ?c1430(?1383) Wycl.Curse (Corp-C 296)288 : Here soule..þat is foulere a þousand fold þan ony stynkynge privey in erþe.
- (1435) Misyn FL (Corp-O 236)35/27 : Of a prevay þe coueringe put by, bot stynk no þing fleys out.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)414 : Pryvy, or gonge: Latrina, cloaca, ypodromium.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)12/19 : Tak a bryghte bacyn and anoynte it with mylke reme & whelm it ouer a preue iij dayes, & sythen clens it & anoynt thyn eghne þer-with.
- (1441) Let.Bk.Lond.K (Gldh LetBk K)254 : Of olde tyme accustumed it hath be used for the esement of þe Kinges prisoners there to have the voidance..of the prive of þe seid prison into the towne dyche.
- c1450 Doc.in Bentley Excerpta Hist.418 : Pryuay or reredortor: Make the sign of a house and stryke down thy right hande by thy clothes.
- ?c1450 Knt.Tour-L.(Hrl 1764)24/1 : He saide he come from the priue; And thanne saide the ladi, 'somoche haue ye the more nede to wasshe you.'
- a1475(a1456) Shirley Death Jas.(Add 5467)16 : He..entred adowne lowe beneth amongis th' ordure of the privay.
- (1463) Will Bury in Camd.4922 : I will yt she chese if sche will..the chambyr abovyn the kechene..with the esement of the prevy longgyng thereto.
- a1475 *Hrl.Diseases Hawk A (Hrl 2340)28b : Yf a hawke hafe þe frownce in hir hede..þat comyth of euyll fauyrd mete or of standyng nye A prevy or ony oþer on-sauery place þat stynkes.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)99b : A Pryvey: birsa, Cloaca, Catacumba, forica, gumphus, latrina, tristegum.
- a1500 Mayer Nominale (Mayer)729/29 : Hec forica: a prevy; Hec pennates: idem est.
- a1525(?1423) Cov.Leet Bk.59 : Allso þai orden þat the Reddyche be clansyd & all þe pryves & swynesties þeron be done away.
b
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)142/13 : Amid te menske of þi neb, þet is þe fehereste deal bitweonen muðes smech & neases smeal, ne berest tu as twa priue þurles [Cleo: priuees þurles]?
- (1378) Inquis.Miscel.(PRO)4.15 : [A] stole [called] privestole [with cloth hung round it, worth 2 s.].
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)55/18 : Oonys in þe dai þe sike man schal go to priuy [vr. schal schyte; L ascellet].
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)273/1 : Whanne he sittiþ at priuy, he schal not streyne him-silf to harde.
- (1423) Plea & Mem.in Bk.Lond.E.134/136 : Also, twey dongehilles in bothe sides þe comune priue dore in the defaute of the Chaumbre been defectif.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)120b/b : Loke þat þe pacyent go euerye daie to priuee.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)57/26 : He may do none egestion whan he comeþ to the pryue.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)143 : Esyn or cukkyn..or voydyn as man at priuy place: Stercoriso, merdo, egero.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)202 : Goo to pryvy, or to shytyn: Acello.
- (1441) *Plea & Mem.R.Lond.GildhA 67.4r : Þe lane þat gooth doun to þe Comon prive on þe west side.
- a1475(a1456) Shirley Death Jas.(Add 5467)16 : The traitours withowt laid at the chaumbur dors, and at the privay dore also.
- (1463) Will Bury in Camd.4920 : I wil that ye newe prevy hous ovir the synkke be the dore..serve for the parlour and chambir a loffte.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)9173 : In chaumbre, goyng to pryvee, Hys chaumberleyn thow mustest be.
- a1475 Russell Bk.Nurt.(Hrl 4011)931 : Se þe privehouse for esement be fayre, soote, & clene.
- c1475 Abbrev.Trip.SSecr.(UC 85)334/15 : Yf the man passe the cours of nature..in..going to miche or to litle to pryuee..he most needys falle into grete seekenesse.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)99b : A Pryvey scowrrere or scowllere: Cloacarius.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Add 9066)408 : His hede hitte agayne the privey dore, so that he had a foule stroke.
3.
(a) An intimate, a friend, confidant; an adviser, a counselor; prives of the toun, fellow citizens of the toun; Poulines prives, intimates of the Paulines; ~ other straunge, fellow citizen or outsider; maken to ~ to, to make (sb.) a confidant of (sb.); (b) maken..most of his ~, ?to take (sb.) most into his confidence, ?make (sb.) the greatest of his counselors.
Associated quotations
a
- a1325(?c1300) NPass.(Cmb Gg.1.1)1630 : Þer stode bi side þe rode Thȝre wimmen..And Iohan, wre lord is priuee [vr. goddis frende full preue].
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)8647 : He nom on of is priues [B vr. priue men], þat het water tirel.
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)37/18 : Þe priue þyeues byeþ þo þet ne steleþ naȝt of oncouþe, ac of priues.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)2480 : Þe amerel..calleþ sir Bruyllant..& othre of his pryueez.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)3005 : Him he made þan his priue [Frf: counsalour priue] And taght to weld al þat contre.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)19537 : Simon..baptist him til hali kirc..For to be wit philipp a-quaint, To be him als his priue nere.
- a1400 Usages Win.(Win-HRO W/A3/1)p.70 : Ȝif þer is eny pryue oþer straunge þat to þe wyȝte shal, and he hit hele ouer o nyȝt, he is in þe kynges mercy vp-on þe quantite of þat mys-dede.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.41 : Eilred sent for Edrik to be his owen priue.
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)4719 : From pryuees may noma[n] hym warie, And þat ȝee seen wel by Darye -- His owen norryes to deþ hym brouȝth.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)2.177 : Paulynes pryues [A: peple], for pleyntes in þe consistorie, Shul serue my-self that cyuile is nempned.
- c1436 Ipswich Domesday(2) (Add 25011)19 : The lawes and the vsages of the same toune..as wel for common profyt of straungeres as for pryvys of the toune..shulden ben apertly put in Domys day.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)9299 : He..By his priues often hure grette & his presentes byforn hure sette.
- 1448 *Glo.Chron.C (Arms 58:Kooper)f.196r : To wynnyng and to cruwelte he yaf his busynesse, in chambre with his priuez light of speches and jaspes.
- a1450 PNoster R.Hermit (Westm-S 3)7/34 : I wil þat ȝee as my priue drynkyn here of my cuppe wiþ me..& siþen in my blisse as my dere freendis be honoured wiþ me.
- c1450(c1400) Vices & V.(2) (Hnt HM 147)26/2 : Þe ferþe werre [of wrath] is wiþ-out to his neiȝebores and his pryuees þat beþ aboute hym.
- c1450 Pilgr.LM (Cmb Ff.5.30)65 : Enemy more daungerous, more shrewed, ne more perilous thow ne miht haue than priuees [F privez] and thilke that ben nigh thee.
- c1460 Cursor (LdMisc 416)16482 : Alas that euyr was I made to hym to prevy.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)377 : He wolde with hym ben a-queynted and be oon of his privees.
b
- a1400 Cursor (Göt Theol 107)3005 : Þe king..made him mast of his priue, Bitok him to weld all þat contre.