Where does “polis” come from?
Polis comes from Ancient Greek πόλις, which referred to a city-state or the body of citizens within it, entering English through French police and Italian polizia, which adopted the term to denote civic order and administration.
polis (English): A Greek city-state; The police; A police officer
Definitions
- A Greek city-state; The police; A police officer
Ancestry of “polis”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | πόλις | city; a whole country, as dependent on and called... |
| 2 | Proto-Hellenic | ptólis | city |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | tpólHis | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | tpelH- | fortification, city |
Words derived from “polis”