entry
confidentiality
/ˌkɑːnfɪˌdɛnʃiˈælɪti/The state of keeping information private and restricted
From Latin, transmitted through English confidential (Private).
Word Ancestry
In 1830, English speakers could already describe something as confidential, but they needed a noun for the condition itself; adding -ity supplied it. The older ingredient reaches back to Latin cōnfīdentia, a word associated with trust and confiding—exactly the moment when one person leans closer and says, “This stays between us.” At first, confidential meant something like “showing private intimacy”; by 1773, it had developed the sharper modern sense of information intended to remain private. A possible French influence is also reported: English confidential may have been modeled on French confidentiel, though the Latin connection remains central. Today the word survives wherever trust needs a locked door—whether in a whispered secret, a legal agreement, or a database permission setting.
The Story
In 1830, English speakers could already describe something as confidential, but they needed a noun for the condition itself; adding -ity supplied it. The older ingredient reaches back to Latin cōnfīdentia, a word associated with trust and confiding—exactly the moment when one person leans closer and says, “This stays between us.” At first, confidential meant something like “showing private intimacy”; by 1773, it had developed the sharper modern sense of information intended to remain private. A possible French influence is also reported: English confidential may have been modeled on French confidentiel, though the Latin connection remains central. Today the word survives wherever trust needs a locked door—whether in a whispered secret, a legal agreement, or a database permission setting.
Kin & Kindred
From 'confidential'·Private, trusted, or intended to remain undisclosed
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From '-ity'·Quality, state, or condition
Derived Terms
English words from this root