public
Forms
- Comparative
- more public
- Superlative
- most public
- Plural
- publics
Definitions
1.Able to be known or seen by everyone; happening without concealment; open to general view.
- Earlier this month [Tim] 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.
2.Open to all members of a community, as opposed to only a segment of it; especially, provided by national or local authorities and supported by money from taxes.
- There are some fields near Manchester, well known to the inhabitants as "Green Heys Fields," through which runs a public footpath to a little village about two miles distant.
- Officials say about 500 babies are abandoned each year in Western Cape province and that the number is increasing. Some are left for dead on rubbish tips, in refuge bags or at public toilets.
3.Pertaining to the people as a whole, as opposed to a group of people; concerning the whole community or country.
- I knew a brazen minister of state, / Who bore for twice ten years the publick hate. / In every mouth the question most in vogue / Was, When will they turn out this odious rogue?
4.Officially representing the community; carried out or funded by the government or state on behalf of the community, rather than by a private organization.
- But culture's total budget is a tiny proportion of all public spending; it is one of the government's most visible success stories.
1.Chiefly preceded by the: members of the community or the people in general, regardless of membership of any particular group.
- Members of the public may not proceed beyond this point.
- The vehicles had roller bearings, electro-pneumatic control, automatic acceleration, and air doors, and were much welcomed by the public.
2.Preceded by a possessive determiner such as my, your, or their: a group of people who support a particular person, especially a performer, a writer, etc.; an audience, a following.
3.Often preceded by the and a qualifying word: a particular demographic or group of people, or segment of the population, sharing some common characteristic.
4.Ellipsis of public house or (dated) public bar (“an inn, a pub: the more basic bar in a public house, as contrasted with the lounge bar or saloon bar which has more comfortable seats, personalized service, etc.”).(informal)
Frequency
Overall
Very common· #370
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Uncommon
- General reading & writing
- Very common
- Academic
- Common
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Antonyms
Word family
Etymology
The adjective and noun are derived from Late Middle English publik, publike (“(adjective) generally observable, public; relating to the general public or public affairs; (noun) a generally observable place or situation”), from Anglo-Norman public, publik, publique, Middle French public, publique, and Old French public (“(adjective) generally observable, public; relating to the general public; official; (noun) community or its members collectively; nation, state; audience, spectators collectively”) (modern French public, publique (obsolete)); and from their etymon Latin pūblicus (“of or belonging to the community, people, or state; general, public”), an alteration of poplicus (influenced by pūbēs (“adult men; male population”)), from poplus (“community; the people, public; nation, state”) (later populus; from Proto-Italic *poplos (“army”); further origin uncertain, possibly from Etruscan or from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). Related to people, populus, etc.