privus

Privus is a classical Latin adjective meaning "private" or "belonging to oneself," used to distinguish the private realm from the public or to describe private individuals. The masculine form is privus; feminine privata; neuter privum. In Latin prose, it appears in legal, political, and philosophical contexts to refer to things not under public authority or not shared by the community, such as res privata ("private matters") or fortuna privata ("private fortune"). The related noun privatus, meaning "private person" or "private citizen," is more common in Late Latin and in subsequent vocabulary.

Etymology and related forms: Privus derives from the Latin root priv-, tied to meanings like "to deprive, to set apart," and forms terms for private life and possession. The adjective also yields productive derivatives in the Romance languages and in English, where the private concept and terms like private and privacy trace back through Latin privatus and related roots. In Romance languages, derivatives include privé (French), privato or privado (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese), reflecting a common lineage from the same root.

Modern usage: In scholarly discussions, privus appears mainly in etymological and grammatical notes, while privatus is the more common term for "private" as an adjective and noun. The concept of privus informs analyses of the classical distinction between private life and public authority in rhetoric, law, and political thought, even as modern vocabulary has largely shifted to privatus and related forms for everyday use.