semiprivate

[sem-ee-prahy-vit, sem-ahy-]

adjective

1. having some degree of privacy but not fully private, as a hospital room with fewer beds than a ward.

Other Word Forms

• semiprivacy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of semiprivate¹

First recorded in 1875–80; semi- + private

Example Sentences

I spent two nights at the hospital, was tested for possible heart attack or stroke, and my insurance company, Kaiser Permanente, was billed $95,487 for transportation, tests, medication, and a “semiprivate room.”

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Premiums can be pricey, but note that a semiprivate room in a nursing home costs more than $94,000 per year, according to the 2021 Cost of Care Survey by Genworth, an insurance company.

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The Fed’s 12 reserve banks — semiprivate institutions dotted across the country — each has a nine-person board of directors, three of whom come from the banking industry.

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Some cities have adopted French “pissoirs” — essentially completely or semiprivate public urinals, which have been around since the early 19th century.

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One capacious, semiprivate, semicircular booth has windows to the west.

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