Added 4 October 2026
public
/ˈpʌb.lɪk/ adjective
In Latin: publicus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about public at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Able to be known or seen by everyone; happening without concealment; open to general view. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
-
Open to all members of a community, as opposed to only a segment of it; especially, provided by national or local authorities and supported by money from taxes.
public library public park
- Of a company: having shares of stock traded publicly, for example, through a stock market.
noun
-
Chiefly preceded by the: members of the community or the people in general, regardless of membership of any particular group.
Members of the public may not proceed beyond this point.
-
Preceded by a possessive determiner such as my, your, or their: a group of people who support a particular person, especially a performer, a writer, etc.; an audience, a following.
the cinema-going public
- Preceded by a possessive determiner such as my, your, or their: a group of people who support a particular person, especially a performer, a writer, etc.; an audience, a following.
verb
noun
- An internet publication.
Origin
The adjective and noun are derived from Late Middle English publik, publike (“(adjective) generally observable, public; relating to the general public or public affairs; (noun) a generally observable place or situation”), from Anglo-Norman public, publik, publique, Middle French public, publique, and Old French public (“(adjective) generally observable, public; relating to the general public; official; (noun) community or its members collectively; nation, state; audience, spectators collectively”) (modern French public, publique (obsolete)); and from their etymon Latin pūblicus (“of or belonging to the community, people, or state; general, public”), an alteration of poplicus (influenced by p.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)