private
n. countablen. the lowest rank for a soldier in the army. You use this word for someone who does not have any power over other soldiers.
n. the lowest enlisted rank in many military forces, below a corporal or sergeant. Often used as a title before a surname.
The private stood at attention during the inspection.
After completing basic training, he was assigned to the infantry as a private.
The memoir provides a harrowing account of life as a private on the front lines, focusing on the daily struggles of those at the bottom of the military hierarchy.
From Middle English privat(e) (“individual, exclusive, private”), from Latin prīvātus (“bereaved, deprived, set apart from, release”), perfect passive participle of prīvō (“to bereave, deprive, release”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more), from prīvus (“private, one's own, proper”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per; compare prime, prior, pristine. Doublet of privy.
When used as a title before a name, it is typically capitalized (e.g., Private Smith).