Where does “police” come from?
police (Middle French) comes from Latin polītīa, from Ancient Greek πολιτεία, from Ancient Greek πολῑ́της, from Ancient Greek -της, from Proto-Hellenic -tāts, from Proto-Indo-European -teh₂ts, from Proto-Indo-European -teh₂, from Proto-Indo-European -tós — Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems.
police (Middle French): governance; management
Definitions
- governance; management
Ancestry of “police”, step by step
police traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin polītīa
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | polītīa | state, government, administration |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | πολιτεία | the relation in which a citizen stands to the... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πολῑ́της | citizen |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -της | Forms nouns representing a state of being; Added... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | -tāts | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |
via Italian polizza
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | polizza | policy; bill, voucher |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | apodissa | receipt for money |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀπόδειξις | setting, showing forth, publication; proof;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -σῐς | "suffix forming nouns" |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |