publics

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of public.

   Public relations teams tailor their campaigns to several distinct publics.

   The museum is working hard to reach new publics beyond its regular visitors.

   Note

   Only some meanings of public can be counted, and only those take this plural. The public at large, usually with the, is one undivided body. A public can also be a segment sharing an interest or a writer's following, and those can be counted, which is why planners speak of reaching several publics. Informally the same plural can also mean pubs, short for public houses.

2. 2
   verbarchaic

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of public. Archaic.

   Note

   An archaic verb form that began in Scotland. Where modern English says publishes or publicizes, older usage could simply say a herald publics a decree. It is transitive and always takes an object. Today it reads as deliberate period color, so outside historical pastiche, use publish. It is spelled exactly like the noun plural, and a subject doing the making known is what tells them apart.

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