private: Meaning and Definition of

pri•vate

Pronunciation: (prī'vit), [key]
— adj.
  1. belonging to some particular person: private property.
  2. pertaining to or affecting a particular person or a small group of persons; individual; personal: for your private satisfaction.
  3. confined to or intended only for the persons immediately concerned; confidential: a private meeting.
  4. personal and not publicly expressed: one's private feelings.
  5. not holding public office or employment: private citizens.
  6. not of an official or public character: private life.
  7. removed from or out of public view or knowledge; secret: private papers.
  8. not open or accessible to the general public: a private beach.
  9. undertaken individually or personally: private research.
  10. without the presence of others; alone.
  11. solitary; secluded.
  12. preferring privacy; retiring: a very private person.
  13. intimate; most personal: private behavior.
  14. of, having, or receiving special hospital facilities, privileges, and services, esp. a room of one's own and liberal visiting hours: a private room; a private patient.
  15. of lowest military rank.
  16. of, pertaining to, or coming from nongovernmental sources: private funding.
—n.
  1. a soldier of one of the three lowest enlisted ranks.
  2. See
  3. not publicly; secretly: The hearing will be conducted in private.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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