Definition Essay - The Word 'Private'

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Definition Essay - The Word 'Private'

Private is a word with a multitude of meanings, some known and others not so known. When searched for in a dictionary, it can be found that the definitions don't vary much between the three dictionaries, although the dictionary from 1913 had a few dissimilar terms. The word private was looked up in Webster Dictionary from 1913, The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition, and the Oxford English Dictionary: Second Edition. Many people think of private as meaning something in solitude, or secretive. Reading these dictionary entries revealed the labyrinthine meaning of the word private.

Some of the definitions seem very similar to the way private is used in every day life, however others seem hidden as though they were private definitions themselves. Most freshmen at Michigan State University and students at Waterford Mott High School don't use that word commonly in every day conversation but when we do use it, the context in which it is used usually gives the implied meaning of being secretive or sheltered fro...

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