privilege
priv·i·lege 
- The definition of privilege is a right granted to some, but not to all.
An example of a privilege is the right to join a specific club.
- Privilege is a right or advantage that you have others may not have.
An example of a privilege is the money to afford an expensive education.
- To privilege means to give someone a special favor.
An example of to privilege is for a new manager to get extra perks.
privilege
- a right, advantage, favor, or immunity specially granted to one; esp., a right held by a certain individual, group, or class, and withheld from certain others or all others
- a basic civil right, guaranteed by a government
- an option, as a put or call, to buy or sell a stock
Origin of privilege
Old French from Classical Latin privilegium, an exceptional law for or against any individual from privus, private + lex (gen. legis), law: see legaltransitive verb
-·leged, -·leg·ing- to grant a privilege or privileges to
- to grant special favored status to
privilege
noun
- a. A special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste. See Synonyms at right.b. Such an advantage, immunity, or right held as a prerogative of status or rank, and exercised to the exclusion or detriment of others.
- The principle of granting and maintaining a special right or immunity: a society based on privilege.
- a. Protection from being forced to disclose confidential communications in certain relationships, as between attorney and client, physician and patient, or priest and confessor.b. Protection from being sued for libel or slander for making otherwise actionable statements in a context or forum where open and candid expression is deemed desirable for reasons of public policy.
- An option to buy or sell a stock, including put, call, spread, and straddle.
transitive verb
priv·i·leged, priv·i·leg·ing, priv·i·leg·es- To grant a privilege to.
- To free or exempt.
Origin of privilege
Middle English from Old French from Latin prīvilēgium a law affecting one person prīvus single, alone ; see per1 in Indo-European roots. lēx lēg- law ; see leg- in Indo-European roots.privilege
(plural privileges)
- A peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor; a right or immunity not enjoyed by others or by all; special enjoyment of a good, or exemption from an evil or burden; a prerogative; advantage; franchise; preferential treatment.
- All first-year professors here must teach four courses a term, yet you're only teaching one! What entitled you to such a privilege?
- The status or existence of such benefit or advantage.
- In order to advance racial equality in the United States, what we've got to do is reduce white privilege.
- (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.
- (finance) A call, put, spread, or other option.
- (computing) An ability to perform an action on the system that can be selectively granted or denied to users; permission.
(third-person singular simple present privileges, present participle privileging, simple past and past participle privileged)
- (archaic) To grant some particular right or exemption to; to invest with a peculiar right or immunity; to authorize; as, to privilege representatives from arrest.
- (archaic) To bring or put into a condition of privilege or exemption from evil or danger; to exempt; to deliver.
From Old French privilege, from Latin privilegium (“an ordinance or law against or in favor of an individual”), from privus (“private”) + lēx, legis (“law”).
privilege - Computer Definition
(1) The rights granted to a single user or group of users who operate a computer. Administrative privileges allow a user the right to make any and all changes in the computer, including setting up accounts for other users. User-level privileges are more restricted. See access rights.
(2) The rights granted to software running in the computer, which determines which hardware and software resources can be accessed and changed. See privileged mode and access mode.
privilege - Legal Definition
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