1. Spectrum of meaning
In the sense of “seclusion,” the term “privacy” in English dates from around 1600. The sense of “freedom from intrusion,” however, dates only from 1814. German and French long had adjectives alone (privat and privé) along with the compound terms Privatangelegenheit (private matter) and propriété privée (private property). Privatheit only entered German in the 20th century as a subst…