privately-held
|pri-vate-ly-held|
/ˈpraɪvətli hɛld/
(privately held)
owned or conducted outside the public market/view
Etymology
'privately-held' originates from Latin and Old English roots: 'private' ultimately from Latin 'privatus' (“set apart; not public”), and 'held' as the past participle of 'hold', from Old English 'healdan' (“to keep, possess”).
'privatus' entered English via Old French and Middle English as 'private'; the adverb 'privately' formed with the suffix '-ly'. 'Held' developed as the past participle of 'hold' (OE 'healdan'). The compound phrase 'privately held' rose to prominence in modern business English (19th–20th c.) to describe companies not listed on public exchanges.
Originally, it conveyed the literal sense of something “held in private.” Over time, it specialized in business usage to mean “not publicly traded.”
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
of a company: not publicly traded; owned by private individuals or entities, with shares not available on a public stock exchange.
She was hired by a rapidly growing, privately-held software company.
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Adjective 2
held, conducted, or kept in private; not open to the public.
They had a quietly arranged, privately-held ceremony with only family present.
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Last updated: 2025/08/09 21:29