private

pri·vate  (prvt)

adj.

1.

a. Secluded from the sight, presence, or intrusion of others: a private hideaway.

b. Designed or intended for one's exclusive use: a private room.

2.

a. Of or confined to the individual; personal: a private joke; private opinions.

b. Undertaken on an individual basis: private studies; private research.

c. Of, relating to, or receiving special hospital services and privileges: a private patient.

3. Not available for public use, control, or participation: a private club; a private party.

4.

a. Belonging to a particular person or persons, as opposed to the public or the government: private property.

b. Of, relating to, or derived from nongovernment sources: private funding.

c. Conducted and supported primarily by individuals or groups not affiliated with governmental agencies or corporations: a private college; a private sanatorium.

d. Enrolled in or attending a private school: a private student.

5. Not holding an official or public position: a private citizen.

6.

a. Not for public knowledge or disclosure; secret: private papers; a private communication.

b. Not appropriate for use or display in public; intimate: private behavior; a private tragedy.

c. Placing a high value on personal privacy: a private person.

n.

1.

a. Abbr. PVT or Pvt or Pvt. A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Army or Marine Corps that is below private first class.

b. One who holds this rank or a similar rank in a military organization.

2. privates Private parts. Often used with the.

Idioms:

go private

To take a publicly owned company into private ownership, as by a leveraged buyout.

in private

Not in public; secretly or confidentially.

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[Middle English privat, from Latin prvtus, not in public life, past participle of prvre, to release, deprive, from prvus, single, alone; see per¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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private·ly adv.

private·ness n.

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private

Adjective

1. not for general or public use: a private bathroom

2. confidential or secret: a private conversation

3. involving someone's domestic and personal life rather than his or her work or business: what I do in my private life is none of your business

4. owned or paid for by individuals rather than by the government: private enterprise

5. not publicly known: they had private reasons for the decision

6. having no public office, rank, or position: the Red Cross received donations from private citizens

7. (of a place) quiet and secluded: the garden is completely private

8. (of a person) quiet and retiring: she was private – her life was her own

Noun

1. a soldier of the lowest rank in the army

2. in private in secret [Latin privatus belonging to one individual, withdrawn from public life]

privately adv

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	private - an enlisted man of the lowest rank in the Army or Marines; "our prisoner was just a private and knew nothing of value" buck private, common soldier enlisted man - a male enlisted person in the armed forces
Adj.	1.	private - confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy; "a private place"; "private discussions"; "private lessons"; "a private club"; "a private secretary"; "private property"; "the former President is now a private citizen"; "public figures struggle to maintain a private life" esoteric - confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle; "a compilation of esoteric philosophical theories" personal - concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality; "a personal favor"; "for your personal use"; "personal papers"; "I have something personal to tell you"; "a personal God"; "he has his personal bank account and she has hers" public - not private; open to or concerning the people as a whole; "the public good"; "public libraries"; "public funds"; "public parks"; "a public scandal"; "public gardens"; "performers and members of royal families are public figures"
	2.	private - concerning things deeply private and personal; "private correspondence"; "private family matters" personal - concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality; "a personal favor"; "for your personal use"; "personal papers"; "I have something personal to tell you"; "a personal God"; "he has his personal bank account and she has hers"
	3.	private - concerning one person exclusively; "we all have individual cars"; "each room has a private bath" individual personal - concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality; "a personal favor"; "for your personal use"; "personal papers"; "I have something personal to tell you"; "a personal God"; "he has his personal bank account and she has hers"
	4.	private - not expressed; "secret (or private) thoughts" secret inward - relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts; "a concern with inward reflections"

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private

adjective 1. nonpublic, independent, commercial, privatised, private-enterprise, denationalized

adjective 2. exclusive, individual, privately owned, own, special, particular, reserved << OPPOSITE public

adjective 3. secret, confidential, covert, inside, closet, unofficial, privy (archaic) clandestine, off the record, hush-hush (informal) in camera << OPPOSITE public

adjective 4. personal, individual, secret, intimate, undisclosed, unspoken, innermost, unvoiced

adjective 5. secluded, secret, separate, isolated, concealed, retired, sequestered, not overlooked << OPPOSITE busy

adjective 6. solitary, reserved, retiring, withdrawn, discreet, secretive, self-contained, reclusive, reticent, insular, introvert, uncommunicative << OPPOSITE sociable

noun 7. enlisted man, U.S. tommy Brit. (informal) private soldier, Tommy Atkins Brit. (informal) squaddie or squaddy Brit. (slang) >> in private in secret, privately, personally, behind closed doors, in camera, between ourselves, confidentially

Translations

private [ˈpraɪvɪt] adj (= personal) → particular (= confidential); secreto, confidencial (= intimate); privado, íntimo; [sitting etc] → a puerta cerrada

n → soldado raso;

"private" (on envelope) → "confidencial";

(on door) → "privado";

in private → en privado;

in (his) private life → en su vida privada;

to be in private practice → tener consulta particular

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private [ˈpraɪvɪt] adj (= not public) → privé(e) (= personal); personnel(le); [house, car, lesson] → particulier/ière (= quiet) [place] → tranquille

n → soldat m de deuxième classe;

"private" (on envelope) → "personnelle";

(on door) → "privé";

in private → en privé;

in (his) private life → dans sa vie privée;

he is a very private person → il est très secret;

to be in private practice → être médecin (or dentiste etc) non conventionné;

private hearing (Law) → audience f à huis-clos

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private [ˈpraɪvɪt] adj → privat; [life] → Privat-; [thoughts, plans etc] → persönlich; [place] → abgelegen (= secretive) [person] → verschlossen

n (Mil) → Gefreite(r) m;

"private" (on envelope) → "vertraulich";

(on door) → "privat";

in private → privat;

in (his) private life → in seinem Privatleben;

to be in private practice (Med) → Privatpatienten haben;

private hearing (Law) → nicht öffentliche Verhandlung f

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private [ˈpraɪvɪt] adj → privato/a; personale

n → soldato semplice;

"private " (on envelope) → "riservata";

in private → in privato;

in (his) private life → nella vita privata;

he is a very private person → è una persona molto riservata;

private hearing (LAW) → udienza a porte chiuse;

to be in private practice → essere medico non convenzionato (con la mutua)