🔒 For private use ⚖️ Private law 🏠 Made private

in privatum

9.9

Moved into private ownership and no longer public

idiom

Formal

: privatizar

After the law changed, many public lands were transferred in privatum to private companies.

Examples

Critics argued that selling hospitals in privatum would reduce access for the general public.
The government decided to move several state assets in privatum as part of economic reforms.
The land was transferred in privatum to the new owners.
The government decided to sell the assets in privatum.
After the law changed, many public lands were transferred in privatum to private companies.
The government decided to move several state assets in privatum as part of economic reforms.
Critics argued that selling hospitals in privatum would reduce access for the general public.

Synonyms

to privatize

vsin privatum

59 6.4

To move a government business or service to private companies

describes the resulting state of being under private control rather than the transfer action

How Privatized

in privatum

Formal

9.9

public property

21 2.8

Surface Forms

in privatum main

Morphology

in + privatum

This is a Latin legalism: 'privatum' is not an English lexical item and would be unknown to an average B1 learner, so the meaning 'into private ownership' cannot be derived from the familiar English preposition 'in' alone. Because one constituent is a non‑English/technical form and the phrase occurs in specialized register, the expression is effectively idiomatic and unpredictable for B1 learners.

Etymology

In privatum comes from the idea in and privatum, meaning 'into private', and was used when public land or goods moved into private hands. That's why it now means being placed under 'private ownership' rather than remaining public.