See Also: Going Private(money)
Take Private(money)
Going private(finance)
private(dictionary)
private eye(dictionary)
Private(money)
private law(dictionary)
Private(medicine)
LAW, PRIVATE(law)
PRIVATE(law)

private (iou)



private adjective, adverb, & noun. LME.
[Latin privatus withdrawn from public life, peculiar to oneself, a man in private life, use of pa. pple of privare bereave, deprive, from privus single, individual, private: see -ATE2.]
A. adjective.
Of a person: not holding public office or an official position. LME.
G. B. Shaw We cannot do this as private persons. It must be done by the Government. N. Freeling I'm just a private individual. Journal of Navigation Like the private sailor, the private aviator relies..on magnetic heading systems.
Of or pertaining to a person in a non-official capacity. LME.
J. F. Kennedy We believe that groups will co-ordinate their private interests with national interests. J. Steinbeck He never mixed his professional life with his private pleasures. W. S. Churchill His private letters reveal his bitterness.
Not open to the public; restricted or intended only for the use of a particular person or persons. LME.
C. MacInnes I was up very early..as if with a private alarm clock in my brain. Day Lewis I sang once, at a private party. A. Alvarez They had private jokes and rituals from which everyone was excluded. J. Aiken A stone tunnel..defended by a PRIVATE sign.
b. That belongs to or is the property of a particular person; one's own; of, pertaining to, or affecting a particular person or group of people, individual, personal. LME.
A. Miller Conscience was no longer a private matter but one of state administration. S. Bellow A Texas builder..flew up..in his private jet. Asian Art Qing emperors..confiscated important private art collections. L. Duncan They sat and talked..sharing..private thoughts and longings.
c. Peculiar to a particular person or persons; particular. E16-M17.
d. Of a service, business, etc.: provided or owned by an individual rather than the State or a public body; spec. (of a system of education or medical treatment) conducted outside the State system and charging fees to the individual concerned; of or pertaining to such a system. M18.
P. Willmott Private beds amount to little over one per cent of the total..in use. P. D. James 'I'm on the list of the orthopaedic hospital.' 'Forgive me, but why not go private?' J. Wilson He'd always been against private education.
Kept or removed from public view or knowledge; not generally known; secret; confidential, not to be disclosed to others. Also, without the presence of another person or persons, alone (with). L15.
T. Hardy Though this conversation had been private,..its import reached..those around. J. Lingard Black wanted to be private, you could tell that at a glance. M. M. R. Khan He was not..sure how much to tell me and how much to keep private.
b. Privy; enjoying another's confidence, intimate. Foll. by to, with. L16-M18.
Of a place: secluded, unfrequented, affording privacy. L15.
Of a person: retiring; reserved; unsociable. Formerly also, secretive. L16.
A. S. Dale Frances was such an intensely private person..that her reactions were not left for posterity.
Special collocations & phrases: private army an army not recruited by the State; a mercenary force. private attorney: see ATTORNEY noun 1. private bank: see BANK noun3 3. private bar = lounge bar s.v. LOUNGE noun1. private bill a parliamentary bill affecting an individual or corporation only. private branch exchange Telephony an exchange by which private lines may be connected to the public network; abbreviation PBX. private car (a) a motor car owned and used privately, as distinct from a commercial vehicle; (b) US a railway carriage owned and used privately. private company a company with restricted membership and no issue of shares. private detective a person who undertakes special enquiries for private employers. private enterprise (a) a business etc. that is privately owned and not under State control; (b) individual initiative esp. in business. private enterpriser an advocate of or participant in private enterprise. private eye colloq. = private detective above. private hotel (a) a hotel not obliged to take all comers; (b) Austral. a hotel without a licence to serve alcohol. private house the dwelling-house of a private person, as distinct from a shop, office, or public building. private income an unearned income, derived from investments, property, etc. private inquiry: undertaken by a private detective. private investigator = private detective above. private JUDGEMENT. private key a cryptographic key, unique to a particular recipient, used to decipher messages encrypted using a public key (see PUBLIC key). private language a language which can be understood by the user or users only. private law: relating to dealings between individuals or institutions, rather than the State. private life: as a private individual rather than as an official, public performer, etc. private line Telephony (a) a line for the exclusive use of a subscriber, or not connected to the public network; (b) = private wire (a) below. private means = private income above. private member a member of a legislative body not holding a government office (private member's bill, a bill introduced by a private member, not part of government legislation). private number Telephony (a) an ex-directory number; (b) a number at a private address. private parts the genitals. private patient (in Britain) a patient treated by a doctor other than under the National Health Service. private practice (in Britain) medical practice that is not part of the National Health Service. private press a usu. privately operated printing establishment which prints a limited number of books to a very high standard, esp. for collectors. private residence = private house above. private room: in a club, hotel, etc., that may be hired for private use. private school (a) an independent school supported wholly by the payment of fees and esp. owned by an individual; (b) US a school not supported mainly by the State. private secretary see SECRETARY noun (parliamentary private secretary: see PARLIAMENTARY adjective). private sector the part of an economy, industry, etc., which is free from direct State control. private sentinel: see SENTINEL noun 4. private service domestic service in a private house. private soldier an ordinary soldier as opp. to an officer or (US) an officer or a recruit. private treaty an agreement for the sale of a property at a price negotiated directly between the vendor and purchaser or their agents. private view the viewing of an exhibition (esp. of paintings) before it is open to the public. private war (a) a feud between a restricted number of people from personal motives; (b) hostilities against members of another State without the sanction of one's own government. private wire Telephony (a) a wire in an exchange used to test whether a line is in use without intrusion on a call in progress; (b) = private line (a) above. private wrong an offence against an individual but not against society as a whole.
b. adverb. Privately. LME.
C. noun.
I. A private person; a person not holding a public office or position. L15-L17.
An intimate, a favourite. rare (Shakes.). Only in E17.
A private soldier. L18.
A. Hutschnecker They wanted to make me an officer..I wanted to remain a private.
II. A private or personal matter; private business. M16-M17.
A private or confidential communication. rare (Shakes.). Only in L16.
Privacy, seclusion. E-M17.
In pl. The genitals. colloq. E17.
S. Townsend Bert doesn't get on with his district nurse. He says he doesn't like having his privates mauled about by a woman.
A private school. slang. E20.
Phrases: in private privately, not publicly. private first class US a soldier ranking above an ordinary private but below officers.
? In sense C.7 rare (Shakes.) before M20.
privately adverb (a) in a private capacity, unofficially; (b) without publicity, quietly, secretly; (c) individually, personally: LME.
privateness noun L16.