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Definition of privately - 5 dictionary results

pri⋅vate

  [prahy-vit]
Use privately in a Sentence
–adjective
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.
–noun
17. a soldier of one of the three lowest enlisted ranks.
18. privates. private parts.
—Idiom
19. in private, not publicly; secretly: The hearing will be conducted in private.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L prīvātus private, lit., taken away (from public affairs), special use of ptp. of prīvāre to rob. See deprive, -ate 1

Related forms:
pri⋅vate⋅ly, adverb
pri⋅vate⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. singular, particular, peculiar. 10. sequestered, retired.

Antonyms:
2. general, public.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To privately
pri·vate   (prī'vĭt)   
adj.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

n.  

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

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

  2. privates Private parts. Often used with the.


[Middle English privat, from Latin prīvātus, not in public life, past participle of prīvāre, to release, deprive, from prīvus, single, alone; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
pri'vate·ly adv., pri'vate·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

private  (adj.)
c.1380, from L. privatus "set apart, belonging to oneself" (not to the state), used in contrast to publicus, communis; originally pp. stem of privare "to separate, deprive," from privus "one's own, individual," from Old L. pri "before." Replaced O.E. syndrig. Grew popular 17c. as a preferred alternative to the snobbish overtones in common. Meaning "not open to the public" is from 1398. Of persons, "not holding public office" it is recorded from 1432. Private soldier "one below the rank of a non-commissioned officer" is from 1579. Private parts "the pudenda" is from 1785. Private enterprise first recorded 1844. Privacy is first recorded c.1450. Privatization is attested from 1959; privatize first recorded 1968.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pri·vate
Function: adjective
1 a : intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person or group or class of persons : not available to the public private park> b : not related to, controlled by, or deriving from the state private school>
2 a : owned by or concerning an individual person or entity <private land> b : not having shares that can be freely traded on the open market private company>
3 : affecting the interests of a particular person, class or group of persons, or locality <private legislation> <private rights>
4 a : not invested with or engaged in public office or employment private citizen> b : not related to or dependent on an official position <private correspondence>
5 : not known publicly or carried on in public; especially : intended only for the persons involved
6 : made under private signature private instrument>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pri·vate
Pronunciation: 'prI-v&t
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or receiving hospital service in which the patienthas more privileges than a semiprivate or ward patient
2 : of, relating to, or being private practice private office> private practitioner>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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