police

English

[pəˈliːs], /ˈpliːs/, /ˈpoʊ.liːs/

plural noun
Definitions
  • A civil force granted the legal authority for law enforcement and maintaining public order.
  • (regional) A police officer.
  • (figuratively) People who seek to enforce norms or standards.
  • (military) The duty of cleaning up.
  • (obsolete) Policy.
  • (obsolete) Communal living; civilization.
  • (now) The regulation of a given community or society; administration, law and order etc.

Etymology

Derived from Middle French police derived from Latin politia (state, government) derived from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (state, polity, system of government, citizenship, policy, government, city).

Origin

Ancient Greek

πολιτεία

Gloss

state, polity, system of government, citizenship, policy, government, city

Concept
Semantic Field

Modern world

Ontological Category

Person/Thing

Kanji

市

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms