Phrase guide

privy council

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A body of advisers to a sovereign, functioning much as a cabinet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an advisory council to a ruler (especially to the British Crown)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: council

Narrower terms: divan, diwan

History

Etymology

From Middle English prive (“secret, private, confidential”) + counseil.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Burmese: ဗြဲတိုက် (brai:tuik) — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Chinese Mandarin: 樞密院 /枢密院 (shūmìyuàn) — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Finnish: salaneuvosto — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • French: conseil privé — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Greek: ανακτοβούλιο (anaktovoúlio) — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Indonesian: dewan penasihat — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Indonesian: dewan pertimbangan — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Italian: consiglio privato — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Italian: consiglio segreto — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Japanese: 枢密院 (sūmitsu-in) — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Korean: 추밀원 (chumirwon) — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Māori: Kaunihera Motuhake a te Kīngi — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Russian: та́йный сове́т (tájnyj sovét) — body of advisors to a sovereign
  • Spanish: consejo privado — body of advisors to a sovereign