- This term is ubiquitous at Rice, but it is a university-specific term, and would need to be further specified at any other university. This term carries a lot of details with it at Rice, more than just contained in “private party.” Although it is a casual word and is most often used between peers, because it is also a term that determines how a party needs to be registered with the residential college, it is also an official and formal term.
Private
clipping noun
a small party (with alcohol) at Rice that is hosted in a person’s dorm and is by invitation
Etymology : The term originally started out as “private party” which is how it is registered with Rice. This mainly references the size and the degree of openness of the party. Public parties are open to everyone at Rice, whereas privates target a small group of invited people. This then became clipped to just private, and the meaning narrowed to a specific type of private party at Rice, rather than just any private party.
Source : said by a friend, September 2019: “Are you going to that private on Friday at Dunc?”
Last modified: 10 December 2019