Where does “poli” come from?
poli (Spanish) comes from Spanish policía, from Middle French policie, from Late Latin politia, from Latin polītīa, from Ancient Greek πολιτεία, from Ancient Greek πολῑ́της, from Ancient Greek -της, from Proto-Hellenic -tāts — Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems.
poli (Spanish): cop; heat, the police
Definitions
- cop; heat, the police
Ancestry of “poli”, step by step
poli traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Spanish policía
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | policía | police, police department, police force, police... |
| 2 | Middle French | policie | policy; rule; law; regulation |
| 3 | Late Latin | politia | citizenship; government; state, government |
| 4 | Latin | polītīa | state, government, administration |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πολιτεία | the relation in which a citizen stands to the... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πολῑ́της | citizen |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -της | Forms nouns representing a state of being; Added... |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | -tāts | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |
via English poly
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | poly | Polytechnic; Polyethylene; Polyurethane |
| 2 | Latin | polium | Alternative form of polion |
| 3 | Latin | polion | A strong-smelling plant, perhaps Teucrium... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πόλιον | felty germander |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πολιός | grey, grizzled, grizzly; bright, clear, serene; a... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | poľľós | grey |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | polH-yós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pelH- | pale, gray |