Where does “public” come from?

Public comes from Old French public, meaning "of or concerning the people."

public (English): Able to be seen or known by everyone; open to...

Definitions

  1. Able to be seen or known by everyone; open to...

Ancestry of “public”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpublik—
2Middle Frenchpublic—
3Latinpūblicusof or belonging to the people, state, or community
4Old LatinpoplicusAlternative form of publicus
5Latinpōpulusa people, nation
6Proto-Italicpoplosarmy

Words derived from “public”

Every word from Proto-Italic poplos →Every word from Latin pōpulus →Every word from Old Latin poplicus →