Where does “republic” come from?
Republic comes from Middle French republique, from Latin respublica, a compound of res (thing) and publicus (public), ultimately from populus (people).
republic (English): A state where sovereignty rests with the people...
Definitions
- A state where sovereignty rests with the people...
Ancestry of “republic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | republique | republic |
| 2 | Latin | republica | ablative singular of rēspublica |
| 3 | Latin | rēspublica | a republic, commonwealth; the state, nation |
| 4 | Latin | rēs | thing, object, stuff |
| 5 | Latin | vindicatio | civil lawsuit; protection, defence; vindication;... |
| 6 | Latin | vindicō | to lay claim to as one's own (often with sibi) |
| 7 | Latin | vindex | claimant, vindicator |
| 8 | Latin | dīcō | to say, talk, speak, utter, mention |
| 9 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 10 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 11 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 12 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 13 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 14 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 15 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 16 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |