What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Privy vs Dunny - What's the difference?

privy | dunny |

As adjectives the difference between privy and dunny

is that privy is private, exclusive; not public; one's own while dunny is (uk|dialect) deaf; stupid.

As nouns the difference between privy and dunny

is that privy is an outdoor toilet; latrine; earth closet; john; johnny house while dunny is (australia|new zealand|slang) a toilet, often outside and rudimentary.

privy

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Private, exclusive; not public; one's own.
    • The king retreated to his privy chamber.
    the privy purse
  • Secret, hidden, concealed.
  • * 1967 , William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner , Vintage 2004, p. 82:
    • Nonetheless, in the dark and privy stillness of our minds there are few of us who are not still haunted by worrisome doubts.
  • With knowledge of; party to; let in on.
    • He was privy to the discussions.

    Noun

    (privies)
  • An outdoor toilet; latrine; earth closet; john; johnny house.
  • (legal) A partaker; one having an interest in an action, contract, etc. to which he is not himself a party.
    • (Burrill)
    (Wharton)

    dunny

    English

    Etymology 1

    From , via Australian convicts' flash language brought from London.

    Noun

    (dunnies)
  • (Australia, New Zealand, slang) A toilet, often outside and rudimentary.
  • * 2008 , Judith L. McNeil, No One's Child , page 95,
    • There was one leaning dunny' down the back and, if you stayed very quiet, on a very still day you could hear the white ants as they chewed the wood.The bottom boards were already eaten through, and I avoided using the ' dunny at all costs.
  • * 2010 , Kathleen M. McGinley, Out of the Daydream: Based on the Autobiography of Barry Mcginley Jones , page 47,
    • The dunny was another place to go to get out of class. You got to go there by raising your hand in class and asking Miss if you could go to the lav.
  • * 2010', Christopher Milne, ''The Boy Who Lived in a '''Dunny'' , in ''The Day Our Teacher Went Mad and Other Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls , unnumbered page,
    • ‘Until you wake up to yourself, you can live in the old dunny for all I care.’
    ‘All right, I will,’ said Tony.
  • (Scottish and northern English, slang, dated) An outside toilet, or the passageway leading to it; (by extension) a passageway or cellar.
    • Derived terms
    * dunny can * dunny cart * dunny man

    Etymology 2

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (UK, dialect) Deaf; stupid.
  • * (rfdate) (Sir Walter Scott)
    • My old dame Joan is something dunny , and will scarce know how to manage.