Where does “public” come from?

public (Middle French) comes from Latin pūblicus, from Old Latin poplicus, from Latin pōpulus, from Proto-Italic poplos — army.

Ancestry of “public”, step by step

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

Words derived from “public”

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