Etymology Explorer › English

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—
3Latinpūblicus—
4Old LatinpoplicusAlternative form of publicus
5Latinpōpulus—
6Proto-Italicpoplosarmy

Words derived from “public”

  • publicly
  • publicize
  • nonpublic
  • publicise
  • publicness
  • publically
  • semipublic
  • quasipublic
  • publicization
  • unpublic
  • antipublic
  • publicizer
  • semipublicly
  • prepublic
  • publicizable
  • overpublicize
  • public comment
  • public hearing
  • unpublicizable
  • public opinion
  • weal-public
  • public sector
  • Public Viewing
  • パブリック
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