belonging to, or concerning, an individual person, company, or interest; peculiar to one's self; unconnected with others; personal; one's own; not public; not general; separate; as, a man's private opinion; private property; a private purse; private expenses or interests; a private secretary.-sequestered from company or observation; appropriated to an individual; secret; secluded; lonely; solitary; as, a private room or apartment; private prayer.-not invested with, or engaged in, public office or employment; as, a private citizen; private life.-not publicly known; not open; secret; as, a private negotiation; a private understanding.-having secret or private knowledge; privy.-a secret message; a personal unofficial communication.-personal interest; particular business.-privacy; retirement.-one not invested with a public office.-a common soldier; a soldier below the grade of a noncommissioned officer.-the private parts; the genitals.