# public

Pronunciation: say "PUB-lik" /ˈpʌblɪk/

## Adjective

1. Open to all members of a community rather than only some, and especially funded by national or local authorities through taxes.
   - Simple: Open to everyone in a community, and often paid for by the government with tax money.
   - _The city expanded its public transportation network last year._
   - _Many families rely on public schooling for their children._
3. Carried out or funded by the government or state on behalf of the community, rather than by a private organization.
   - Simple: Run or paid for by the government for the whole community, not by a private business.
   - _The bridge was financed entirely with public funds._
   - _In many countries, public broadcasters are funded by license fees rather than by advertising._
4. Relating to the people as a whole rather than a particular group; concerning the whole community or country.
   - Simple: Having to do with all the people in a community or country, not just a few.
   - _Clean air is a question of public health for the entire region._
   - _The debate touched on issues of genuine public concern._
5. Known to people generally or available for anyone to see, rather than kept private or secret.
   - Simple: Known by or shown to everyone, not kept secret.
   - _Once the documents were leaked, the scandal became fully public._
   - _He preferred to keep his grief private rather than make it public._
7. Relating to a person in the official or professional role they take when dealing with others, rather than in a private or personal capacity.
   - Simple: Having to do with someone's official or working life, not their private life.
   - _In her public capacity as health minister she backed the plan, though in private she had doubts._
   - _Her public duties as ambassador left little room for personal time._
8. Of a company, having shares of stock that are traded openly, as on a stock market.
   - Simple: Of a company, having shares that anyone can buy and sell on the stock market.
   - _Investors waited eagerly for the firm to go public._
   - _Once it was a public company, its share price moved daily._
9. Aiming to advance the best interests or well-being of the community or nation, now chiefly seen in public spirit and public-spirited.
   - Simple: Wanting to help the whole community, not just yourself.
   - _The donation reflected a deep public spirit that put the community first._
   - _Public-spirited citizens organized the cleanup without any pay._
11. Famous, prominent, and widely recognized, now surviving chiefly in the expression public figure.
   - Simple: Famous and well-known, especially someone often seen in the news.
   - _Once she became a public figure, every detail of her private life was scrutinized._
   - _He resented the loss of privacy that came with being a public figure._

## Noun

2. Members of a community or the people in general, regardless of belonging to any particular group.
   - Simple: All the people in a community, or people in society in general.
   - _After years of repairs, the castle gardens are open to the public again every weekend._
   - _Officials urged the public to stay calm during the storm._
6. The presence of spectators or people generally; the open, used especially in the phrase in public.
   - Simple: A situation where other people are around to see what you do.
   - _The actor felt nervous appearing in public for the first time after the scandal._
   - _She never lost her composure in public, however angry she felt._
10. A group of people who support a particular person, especially a performer or writer; an audience or following, usually named with a possessive such as my or their.
   - Simple: The group of fans or followers who support a performer or writer.
   - _The novelist wrote a heartfelt note to his devoted public._
   - _Performers learn to read the mood of their public from the stage._
12. A particular group of people who share an interest or characteristic, as in 'the reading public'.
   - Simple: A group of people who share an interest or something in common, like readers or voters.
   - _The publisher hoped the cheaper paperback would finally win over the reading public._
   - _Different publics responded to the announcement in very different ways._
13. Short for public house or public bar: a pub, or the plainer bar room inside one. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: Short for public house or public bar: a pub, or the simple, cheaper bar room inside one.
   - _The farmhands drank in the public, while visitors from town sat in the carpeted lounge next door._
   - _In those days a pint in the public cost a few pence less than the same pint in the saloon._

## Noun

14. The collective body of a politically organized nation or state; also, the common good or well-being of that body. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The whole body of people who make up a nation, or the good of that nation.
18. At Harvard University, a disciplinary penalty involving a grade reduction that was reported to the student's parents or guardian. *(obsolete, US)*
   - Simple: At Harvard long ago, a punishment that lowered a student's grade and was reported to their parents.

## Verb

15. To bring something to wide public attention; to publicize or publish it. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To make something known to many people, or share it widely.

## Adjective

16. Relating to nations collectively, or to civilized nations as a group; international, even supranational, in character. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Having to do with many nations together, not just one country.
17. Relating to the whole human race; common to all people, universal. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Shared by all human beings and common to everyone.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) In object-oriented programming, accessible to any part of the program, not only to a specific class or its subclasses.
- (noun) In English influenced by Russian and Ukrainian usage, a public page or channel on social media that posts news and other content to its followers.
- (adjective) In some older UK universities, open to or belonging to the entire university rather than a particular college, staff member, or student.

## Origin

Latin pūblicus ("belonging to the people, community, or state") passed through Anglo-Norman and Old French public into Late Middle English as publik, giving both the adjective and the noun. The Latin word is an altered form of poplicus, built on poplus ("the people, community, state"). Where poplus comes from is uncertain, possibly Etruscan or Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- ("to fill"). People is related, and the verb was formed from the adjective.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/public (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).