Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The quality or condition of being secluded from the presence or view of others.
  • noun The state of being free from public attention or unsanctioned intrusion.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A state of being private, or in retirement from the company or from the knowledge or observation of others; seclusion.
  • noun A place of seclusion from company or observation; retreat; solitude; retirement.
  • noun Joint knowledge; privity. See privity.
  • noun Taciturnity.
  • noun Secrecy; concealment of what is said or done.
  • noun A private or personal matter, circumstance, or relation.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The state of being in retirement from the company or observation of others; seclusion.
  • noun A place of seclusion from company or observation; retreat; solitude; retirement.
  • noun Concealment of what is said or done.
  • noun A private matter; a secret.
  • noun obsolete See Privity, 2.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The state of being private; the state of not being seen by others.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the condition of being concealed or hidden
  • noun the quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others

Etymologies

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Examples

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  • A two-hour "discussion" on this led to a deluge of references: Britney Spears' trainwreck, disturbingly high college male readership of Who Weekly, unintended nude photos on Bebo, suspected self-lovin' in the Carslaw toilets, Senator Larry Craig's 'wide stance', Ted Haggard, Bill 'n' Monica, mental health, the paparazzi, footage of fat people on Today Tonight, and middle-class Anglo-Saxon reluctance to talk about money, among other things.

    All in the interests of developing our legal knowledge of course.

    May 14, 2008