Privy Seal
Preserved but no longer current.
The seal which the sovereign uses in proof of assent to a document, kept in the charge of a high officer of State known as the Lord Privy Seal, In matters of minor impor- tance it is sufficient to pass the Privy Seal, but instruments of greater moment must have the Great Seal also.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Privy Seal” mean?
The seal which the sovereign uses in proof of assent to a document, kept in the charge of a high officer of State known as the Lord Privy Seal, In matters of minor impor- tance it is sufficient to pass the Privy Seal, but instruments of greater moment must have the Great Seal also.
Is “Privy Seal” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.