public

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“
Blast them, Jack, what they call the public is a monster, like the idol we saw in Owhyhee, with the head of a jackass, the body of a baboon, and the tail of a scorpion I don't like that," said Jack; "when I'm ashore, I myself am part of the public Your pardon, Jack; you are not, you are then a part of the people, just as you are aboard the frigate here.

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Definitions (57)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (13)

  1. adjective Of, concerning, or affecting the community or the people: the public good.
  2. adjective Maintained for or used by the people or community: a public park.
  3. adjective Capitalized in shares of stock that can be traded on the open market: a public company.
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Examples (50)

  • I'm very well aware that 80 percent of my public is there to see Picasso and Matisse. —  Paola Antonelli treats design as art
  • President Wilson, however, would not officially countenance any preparation which, so far as the public was allowed to know his reasons, might be taken by the Germans as an unfriendly act. —  Theodore Roosevelt; An Intimate Biography
  • His first succesful test for the public was announced by none other than Paul Harvey himself and yet 30 years later it is not in production. —  Alex Jones' Prison Planet.com
  • No matter how beneficial it could have been for the public, the crux of the matter is that the public should be able to get top quality healthcare without losing our home or assets. —  Malaysiakini
  • For years, social theorists have been debating the rapid disappearance of what they call the public arena or public space. —  We Blog A Lot
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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new ·  private ·  general
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English publik, from Old French public, from Latin pūblicus, alteration (influenced by pūbēs, adult population) of poplicus, from populus, people, of Etruscan origin.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Formerly publick, earlier publique, publike, publyke; from Old French (and F.) public, masculine, French publique, masculine and feminine, = Spanish público = Portuguese publico = Italian pubblico, publico, from Latin publicus, in inscriptions also poblicus, poplicus, pertaining to the people, contr. from populicus, from populus, people: see people.
 

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/ˈpəblɪk/
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