public
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also públic
Contents |
English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Anglo-Norman publik, public, Middle French public, publique et al., and their source, Latin pūblicus (“pertaining to the people”), alteration (probably after pubes (“adult men”)) of populicus, from populus (“people”). Compare people.
Pronunciation [edit]
Adjective [edit]
public (comparative more public, superlative most public)
- Able to be seen or known by everyone; open to general view, happening without concealment. [from 14th c.]
- 2011, Sandra Laville, The Guardian, 18 Apr 2011:
- Earlier this month Godwin had to make a public apology to the family of Daniel Morgan after the collapse of a £30m inquiry into his murder in 1987.
- 2011, Sandra Laville, The Guardian, 18 Apr 2011:
- Pertaining to all the people as a whole (as opposed a private group); concerning the whole country, community etc. [from 15th c.]
- 2010, Adam Vaughan, The Guardian, 16 Sep 2010:
- A mere 3% of the more than 1,000 people interviewed said they actually knew what the conference was about. It seems safe to say public awareness of the Convention on Biological Awareness in Nagoya - and its goal of safeguarding wildlife - is close to non-existent.
- 2010, Adam Vaughan, The Guardian, 16 Sep 2010:
- Officially representing the community; carried out or funded by the state on behalf of the community. [from 15th c.]
- 2004, The Guardian, Leader, 18 Jun 2004:
- But culture's total budget is a tiny proportion of all public spending; it is one of the government's most visible success stories.
- 2004, The Guardian, Leader, 18 Jun 2004:
- Open to all members of a community; especially, provided by national or local authorities and supported by money from taxes. [from 15th c.]
- 2011, David Smith, The Guardian, 10 May 2011:
- Some are left for dead on rubbish tips, in refuge bags or at public toilets.
- 2011, David Smith, The Guardian, 10 May 2011:
- (of a company) Traded publicly via a stock market.
Antonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
Terms derived from public (adjective)
Related terms [edit]
Terms etymologically related to public
Translations [edit]
pertaining to people as a whole
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provided (by the government) for the community
open to all members of a community
publicly traded
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
Noun [edit]
public (plural publics)
- The people in general, regardless of membership of any particular group.
- Members of the public may not proceed beyond this point.
- 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, The Tremarn Case[1]:
- “Two or three months more went by ; the public were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this semi-exotic claimant to an English peerage, and sensations, surpassing those of the Tichbourne case, were looked forward to with palpitating interest. […]”
- 2007 May 4, Martin Jacques, The Guardian
- Bush and Blair stand condemned by their own publics and face imminent political extinction.
Usage notes [edit]
- Although generally considered uncountable, this noun does also have countable usage, as in the quotation above.
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
people in general
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Statistics [edit]
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Most common English words before 1923: thus · order · near · #286: public · others · anything · matter
External links [edit]
- public in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- public in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
French [edit]
Pronunciation [edit]
Etymology 1 [edit]
Borrowed from Latin publicus.
Adjective [edit]
public m (feminine publique, masculine plural publics, feminine plural publiques)
Etymology 2 [edit]
Noun use of public (compare Latin publicum).
Noun [edit]
public m (plural publics)
Romanian [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Borrowed from French public < Latin publicus.
Adjective [edit]
public
Noun [edit]
public
- the public
Categories:
- English terms derived from Anglo-Norman
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English adjectives
- English nouns
- 1000 English basic words
- French terms derived from Latin
- French adjectives
- French nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French countable nouns
- Romanian terms derived from French
- Romanian adjectives
- Romanian nouns
