privet

American  

[priv-it] / ˈprɪv ɪt /

noun

1. any of various deciduous or evergreen shrubs of the genus Ligustrum, especially L. vulgare, having clusters of small white flowers and commonly grown as a hedge.

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privet British  

/ ˈprɪvɪt /

noun

1. 1. any oleaceous shrub of the genus Ligustrum, esp L. vulgare or L. ovalifolium , having oval dark green leaves, white flowers, and purplish-black berries

   2. ( as modifier )

      a privet hedge

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Etymology

Origin of privet

First recorded in 1535–45; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

After half a century, the prison was abandoned and the land — apart from a police shooting range — was reclaimed by pines and privet, dewberry and muscadine vines.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2023

The sites were relatively undisturbed by humans and didn’t have common invasive plants such as Chinese privet.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 5, 2023

One of the auction staff described how "the privet hedge was left bare of every leaf because the people who attended wanted to say to their friends they had something from the house".

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2023

“We set out to lower the wall and the privet hedges,” Ms. Wetenhall added, “and now people say we’re like a club without dues.”

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2022

I walked through gas station and motel forecourts and across restaurant parking lots, clambered over concrete barriers, crossed lawns, and pushed through neglected ranks of privet or honeysuckle at property boundaries.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson