civilian

English

Etymology

From Middle English cyvylien, from Old French civilien. Equivalent to civil +‎ -ian.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɪˈvɪljən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

civilian (plural civilians)

1. A person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the armed forces.
   • 1858, Prince George, letter to Sir Colin Campbell:

     An army never can be commanded or controlled by civilians.

   Three civilians were apprehended by the soldiers and taken away in a military vehicle.

2. (informal) A person who does not belong to a particular group or engage in a particular activity, an outsider.
   • 2013, Eminem, “The Monster”, in The Marshall Mathers LP 2:

     I have this vision one day that I'll walk amongst you a regular civilian.

   The bathroom was for employees only, so civilians weren't allowed to use it.

3. One skilled in civil law.
   • 1724, Jonathan Swift, “Drapier's Letters”, in 4:

     Ancient civilians and writers upon government.

4. A student of civil law at a university or college.
   • 1788, Richard Graves, Recollection of Some Particulars in the Life of the Late William Shenstone:

     although he kept his name in the college books, and changed his commoner gown to that of a civilian, yet he had now, I believe, no thoughts of proceeding to any degree; and seldom resided in college any more

Translations

non-military person

• Albanian: civil (sq) m
• Arabic: مَدَنِيّ m (madaniyy), مَدَنِيَّة f (madaniyya)
• Azerbaijani: dinc sakin (non-combatant)
• Belarusian: цыві́льны чалаве́к m (cyvílʹny čalavjék), цыві́льная асо́ба f (cyvílʹnaja asóba)
• Bulgarian: циви́лен (bg) m (civílen), циви́лно лице́ n (civílno licé)
• Burmese: အရပ်သား (my) (a.rapsa:)
• Catalan: paisà m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 平民 (zh) (píngmín)

• Czech: civilista (cs) m, civilistka f
• Danish: civilist c
• Dutch: burger (nl) m
• Esperanto: civilulo
• Estonian: tsivilist, eraisik
• Finnish: siviili (fi)
• French: civil (fr) m, civile (fr) f
• Georgian: სამოქალაქო პირი (samokalako ṗiri)
• German: Zivilist (de) m, Zivilistin (de) f, Zivilperson (de) f
• Greek: πολίτης (el) m or f (polítis)
• Hebrew: אֶזְרָח (he) m (ezrákh), אֶזְרָחִית f (ezrakhít)
• Hindi: नागरिक (hi) m (nāgrik)
• Hungarian: civil (hu), civil személy, polgári személy
• Irish: sibhialtach m
• Italian: civile (it) m
• Japanese: 文民 (ja) (ぶんみん, bunmin), 民間人 (ja) (みんかんじん, minkanjin)
• Khmer: ជនស៊ីវិល (cŭən siivɨl), អយោធ (km) (ʼaʼyoot)
• Korean: 민간인(民間人) (ko) (min'ganin)
• Lao: ພົນລະເຮືອນ (phon la hư̄an), ພໍ່ເຮືອນ (phǭ hư̄an)
• Latvian: civilists m, civiliste f
• Lithuanian: civilis m, civilisė f
• Macedonian: цивил m (civil)
• Malay: orang periman, orang awam
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: иргэн (mn) (irgen)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sivilist m

  Nynorsk: sivilist m

• Persian: غِیرنِظامی (fa) (ğeyrenezâmi), شَخصِ غِیرنِظامی (šaxs-e ğeyrenezâmi)
• Polish: cywil (pl) m
• Portuguese: civil (pt) m or f
• Romanian: civil (ro) m, civilă f
• Russian: гражда́нское лицо́ n (graždánskoje licó), гражда́нский челове́к m (graždánskij čelovék), гражда́нский (ru) m (graždánskij), шта́тский (ru) m (štátskij), ми́рный жи́тель m (mírnyj žítelʹ), ми́рная жи́тельница f (mírnaja žítelʹnica)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: цѝвӣл m, цивѝлист m, цивѝлисткиња f, цивилистица f, грађанска особа f

  Roman: cìvīl (sh) m, civìlist (sh) m, civìlistkinja (sh) f, civilistica f, građanska osoba f

• Slovak: civilista m, civilistka f
• Slovene: civilist m, civilistka f
• Spanish: civil (es), paisano (es)
• Swedish: civilist (sv) c, civil (sv) c
• Tajik: ғайринизомӣ (ġayrinizomī), шахси ғайринизомӣ (šaxsi ġayrinizomī), шахси гражданӣ (šaxsi graždanī)
• Thai: พลเรือน (th) (pon-lá-rʉʉan)
• Turkish: sivil (tr)
• Ukrainian: циві́льна осо́ба f (cyvílʹna osóba), циві́льна люди́на f (cyvílʹna ljudýna), циві́льний (uk) m (cyvílʹnyj)
• Vietnamese: người thường, thường dân (vi)

Adjective

civilian (not comparable)

1. Not related to the military, police or other governmental professions.

   The three detainees were actually army defectors wearing civilian clothing.

   He worked as a civilian journalist for ten years before being employed by the public broadcaster.

Translations

not related to the military armed forces

• Albanian: civil (sq)
• Arabic: مَدَنِيّ (madaniyy)
• Armenian: քաղաքացիական (hy) (kʻaġakʻacʻiakan)
• Belarusian: цыві́льны (cyvílʹny)
• Bulgarian: циви́лен (bg) (civílen), гра́ждански (bg) (gráždanski)
• Burmese: အရပ် (my) (a.rap)
• Catalan: civil (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 文職的／文职的 (zh) (wénzhí de)

• Czech: civilní (cs)
• Danish: civil (da)
• Dutch: burger- (nl), civiel (nl)
• Estonian: tsiviil-
• Finnish: siviili- (fi)
• French: civil (fr)
• Friulian: civîl
• Georgian: სამოქალაქო (samokalako)
• German: zivil (de)
• Hebrew: אֶזְרָחִי (he) (ezrakhí)
• Hindi: नागरिक (hi) (nāgrik), सिविल (hi) (sivil)
• Hungarian: civil (hu), polgári (hu)
• Icelandic: borgaralegur (is)
• Italian: civile (it)
• Japanese: 民間 (ja) (みんかんの, minkan no), 市民の (ja) (し​みんの, shimin no)
• Kazakh: жай (jai)
• Khmer: ស៊ីវិល (siivɨl)
• Korean: 민간의 (ko) (min'ganui)
• Latvian: civils
• Lithuanian: civilinis (lt)
• Macedonian: цивилен (civilen)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sivil

• Persian: مدنی (fa) (madani), غیرنظامی (fa) (ğeyrenezâmi)
• Polish: cywilny (pl)
• Portuguese: civil (pt)
• Romanian: civil (ro)
• Russian: гражда́нский (ru) (graždánskij), циви́льный (ru) (civílʹnyj), шта́тский (ru) (štátskij), ми́рный (ru) (mírnyj, literally “peaceful”)
• Scottish Gaelic: sìobhalta
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: цѝвӣлнӣ

  Roman: cìvīlnī (sh)

• Slovak: civilný
• Slovene: civilen
• Spanish: civil (es)
• Swedish: civil (sv)
• Tajik: ғайринизомӣ (ġayrinizomī), ғайриҳарбӣ (ġayriharbī), гражданӣ (graždanī)
• Turkish: sivil (tr)
• Ukrainian: циві́льний (uk) (cyvílʹnyj), шта́тський (štátsʹkyj)