police
English
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Etymology
From Middle French police, from Latin politia (“state, government”), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía). Doublet of policy and polity.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General Australian, General American, Scotland) IPA(key): [pə̆ˈliˑs]
- (England, colloquial) IPA(key): /ˈpliːs/
- (Southern American English, AAVE) IPA(key): /ˈpoʊ.liːs/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (UK) (file) Audio (file) - Rhymes: -iːs
- Hyphenation: po‧lice
Noun
- A civil force granted the legal authority for law enforcement and maintaining public order. [from 18th c.]
- Call the police!
- The police operating in New York City operate under the New York City Police Department, several other city agencies and boards, and several public authorities.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess[1]:
- ‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […]? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?
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- There’s only one police in this town.
- (regional, chiefly US, Caribbean, Scotland) A police officer. [from 19th c.]
- (figuratively) People who seek to enforce norms or standards.
- 2016 February 5, “How the circumflex became France's bête noire”, in The Guardian[3]:
- A major drama has broken out in France after the local language police decreed one of their cute little accents to be largely redundant
- (obsolete) Policy. [15th-19th c.]
- (obsolete) Communal living; civilization. [16th-19th c.]
- (now rare, historical) The regulation of a given community or society; administration, law and order etc. [from 17th c.]
- 2002, Colin Jones, The Greta Nation, Penguin 2003, page 218:
- The notion of ‘police’ – that is, rational administration – was seen as a historical force which could bring civilized improvement to societies.
- 2002, Colin Jones, The Greta Nation, Penguin 2003, page 218:
Synonyms
- (an organisation that enforces the law): See Thesaurus:police
- (a police officer): See Thesaurus:police officer
Derived terms
- chief of police
- grammar police
- police box
- police brutality
- police captain
- police car
- police chief
- police commissioner
- police constable
- police department
- police detective
- police dog
- police force
- police headquarters
- police jury
- police lieutenant
- policeman
- police officer
- police precinct
- police protection
- police record
- police sergeant
- police service
- police squad
- police state
- police station
- police van
- police wagon
- policewoman
- thought police
Related terms
Translations
an organisation that enforces the law
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Verb
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- (transitive) To enforce the law and keep order among (a group).
- Extra security was hired to police the crowd at the big game.
- 2012 May 24, Nathan Rabin, “Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3”, in The Onion AV Club:
- Smith returns in Men In Black 3 as a veteran agent of a secret organization dedicated to policing the earth’s many extraterrestrials.
- 2013 August 10, Schumpeter, “Cronies and capitols”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
- Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. Businesspeople have every right to lobby governments, and civil servants to take jobs in the private sector. Governments have to find the best people to fill important jobs: there is a limited supply of people who understand the financial system, for example.
- (transitive) To patrol or clean up an area.
- 2006, Robert B. Parker, Hundred-Dollar Baby, Putnam, →ISBN, page 275,
- "Fire off several rounds in a residential building and stop to police the brass?"
- 2006, Robert B. Parker, Hundred-Dollar Baby, Putnam, →ISBN, page 275,
- (transitive, figurative) To enforce norms or standards upon.
- to police a person's identity
Derived terms
Anagrams
Czech
Pronunciation
Noun
police f
- shelf (structure)
Declension
Derived terms
French
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin politia (“state, government”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía).
Pronunciation
Noun
police f (plural polices)
- police
- Fuyez, la police arrive !
- Run, the police are coming!
- Fuyez, la police arrive !
- (typography) fount, font
- (Quebec) cop (police officer)
Related terms
See also
Verb
police
- first-person singular present indicative of policer
- third-person singular present indicative of policer
- first-person singular present subjunctive of policer
- third-person singular present subjunctive of policer
- second-person singular imperative of policer
Anagrams
External links
- “police”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle French
Etymology
Noun
police f (plural polices)
- governance; management
- 1577, Jean d'Ogerolles, Discours sur la contagion de peste qui a esté ceste presente annee en la ville de Lyon, front cover
- contenant les causes d'icelle, l'ordre, moyen et police tenue pour en purger, nettoyer et delivrer la ville (subheading)
- containing the causes, the order, means and management employed to purge, clean and deliver the city
- contenant les causes d'icelle, l'ordre, moyen et police tenue pour en purger, nettoyer et delivrer la ville (subheading)
- 1577, Jean d'Ogerolles, Discours sur la contagion de peste qui a esté ceste presente annee en la ville de Lyon, front cover
Related terms
Norman
Etymology
Noun
police f (uncountable)
Serbo-Croatian
Noun
police
Slovak
Pronunciation
Noun
police
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English doublets
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English 1-syllable words
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/iːs
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- Regional English
- American English
- Caribbean English
- Scottish English
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English terms with rare senses
- English terms with historical senses
- English transitive verbs
- English basic words
- English pluralia tantum
- en:Law enforcement
- en:People
- Czech 3-syllable words
- Czech terms with IPA pronunciation
- Czech terms with audio links
- Czech lemmas
- Czech nouns
- Czech feminine nouns
- cs:Furniture
- French terms derived from Latin
- French terms derived from Ancient Greek
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- Rhymes:French/is
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French feminine nouns
- fr:Typography
- Quebec French
- French non-lemma forms
- French verb forms
- fr:Law enforcement
- Middle French terms borrowed from Latin
- Middle French terms derived from Latin
- Middle French lemmas
- Middle French nouns
- Middle French feminine nouns
- Middle French countable nouns
- Norman terms borrowed from Latin
- Norman terms derived from Latin
- Norman lemmas
- Norman nouns
- Norman feminine nouns
- Jersey Norman
- Serbo-Croatian non-lemma forms
- Serbo-Croatian noun forms
- Slovak 3-syllable words
- Slovak terms with IPA pronunciation
- Slovak non-lemma forms
- Slovak noun forms