privilege

English Online Dictionary. What means privilege‎? What does privilege mean?

English

Alternative forms

• priviledg, priviledge (obsolete)

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɪv(ɪ)lɪd͡ʒ/
• Hyphenation: priv‧i‧lege, privi‧lege

Noun

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.]

   Synonyms: franchise, immunity, prerogative, right, (Scotland, Northern England) freelage
3. An especially rare or fortunate opportunity; the good fortune (to do something). [from 14th c.]
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.]

   Synonyms: advantage, foredeal

   • 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.]

   Synonym: immunity

   • 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.

8. (computing) An ability to perform an action on the system that can be selectively granted or denied to users.

   Synonym: permission

Synonyms

• claim, liberty

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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

1. (archaic, transitive) To grant some particular right or exemption to; to invest with a peculiar right or immunity; to authorize

2. (archaic) To bring or put into a condition of privilege or exemption from evil or danger; to exempt; to deliver.
3. (transitive) To prioritize.

Related terms

• allege

Translations

References

• “privilege”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• privilege in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• “privilege”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch privilegie, from Old French privilege, from Latin privilegium.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌpri.viˈleː.ʒə/
• Hyphenation: pri‧vi‧le‧ge

Noun

privilege n (plural privileges)

1. privilege, prerogative (particular right or favour)

   Synonym: voorrecht

Derived terms

Old French

Noun

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

1. privilege (benefit only given to certain people)

Descendants

• → English: privilege
• Middle French: privilege
  • French: privilège

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (privilege, supplement)