privilege

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See also: Privilege and privilège

English[edit]

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Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English privilege, from Anglo-Norman privilege and Old French privilege, from Latin prīvilēgium (“ordinance or law against or in favor of an individual”), from prīvus (“private”) + lēx, lēg- (“law”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɹɪv(ɪ)lɪdʒ/
  • Audio (US)
    		(file)
  • Hyphenation: priv‧i‧lege

Noun[edit]

privilege (countable and uncountable, plural privileges)

  1. (ecclesiastical law, now chiefly historical) An exemption from certain laws granted by the Pope. [from 8th c.]
  2. (countable) A particular benefit, advantage, or favor; a right or immunity enjoyed by some but not others; a prerogative, preferential treatment. [from 10th c.]
    All first-year professors here must teach four courses a term, yet you're only teaching one! What entitled you to such a privilege?
  3. An especially rare or fortunate opportunity; the good fortune (to do something). [from 14th c.]
    • 2012, The Observer, letter, 29 April:
      I had the privilege to sit near him in the House for a small part of his Commons service and there was an additional device provided to aid his participation in debates.
  4. (uncountable) The fact of being privileged; the status or existence of (now especially social or economic) benefit or advantage within a given society. [from 14th c.]
    • c. 1390, Geoffrey Chaucer, Melibeus:
      He is worthy to lesen his priuilege that mysvseth the myght and the power that is yeuen hym.
    • 1938, George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia:
      In that community where no one was on the make, where there was a shortage of everything but no privilege and no boot-licking, one got, perhaps, a crude forecast of what the opening stages of Socialism might be like.
    • 2013, The Guardian, 21 Oct, (headline):
      South Africa's 'miracle transition' has not put an end to white privilege.
  5. A right or immunity enjoyed by a legislative body or its members. [from 16th c.]
    • 2001, The Guardian, leader, 1 May:
      Dr Grigori Loutchansky is – according to a congressman speaking under congressional privilege – a "purported Russian mob figure".
  6. (countable, US, finance, now rare) A stock market option. [from 19th c.]
  7. (law) A common law doctrine that protects certain communications from being used as evidence in court.
    Your honor, my client is not required to answer that; her response is protected by attorney-client privilege.
  8. (computing) An ability to perform an action on the system that can be selectively granted or denied to users; permission.

Synonyms[edit]

  • (right or immunity not enjoyed by others): freelage
  • (finance):
  • (law):
  • (computing):
The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. Use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}} to add them to the appropriate sense(s).

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

right or immunity enjoyed by a legislative body

Verb[edit]

privilege (third-person singular simple present privileges, present participle privileging, simple past and past participle privileged)

  1. (archaic) To grant some particular right or exemption to; to invest with a peculiar right or immunity; to authorize
    to privilege representatives from arrest
  2. (archaic) To bring or put into a condition of privilege or exemption from evil or danger; to exempt; to deliver.

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Old French[edit]

Noun[edit]

privilege m (oblique plural privileges, nominative singular privileges, nominative plural privilege)

  1. privilege (benefit only given to certain people)

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

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