Politikós

Politikós (πολιτικός) is a Greek term meaning “relating to the city” or “political.” It functions as an adjective in both Classical and Modern Greek and is the linguistic ancestor of the English words political and politics, via Latin politicus and related routes.

Historically, politikós designated the civic or public dimension of life within the Greek city-state, or polis. In ancient Greek political thought, the term framed debates about governance, law, citizenship, and the organization of the polis. In Aristotle’s political writings, related forms appear in discussions of the polity (politeia) and the field concerned with public life and government, often rendered in English as politics or political theory.

In modern usage, politikós remains a general term for anything pertaining to politics. Modern Greek uses politikós (πολιτικός) for “political,” and compounds such as politika (πολιτική) for politics and politically related concepts. The term thus reflects a long-standing link between the idea of the city and the activities by which a community is governed.

Etymology and influence extend beyond Greek. The root polis (city-state) and the suffix -ikos (forming adjectives) produced a family of terms in Latin, French, and English related to governance and public affairs. As a result, politikós underpins widely used terms describing political life and structures in many languages, while retaining a distinctly Greek origin tied to the citizenry and the organization of civic order.