civile

Civile is a term used in Romance languages, chiefly Italian and French, where it functions primarily as an adjective meaning civil, civilian, or relating to citizens and civil life. Etymology traces to Latin civilis, from civis meaning citizen.

In Italian, civile is the singular form used for both masculine and feminine nouns or adjectives; the plural is civili. It appears in many compound nouns and phrases such as diritto civile (civil law), codice civile (civil code), stato civile (civil status), servizio civile (civil service), società civile (civil society), and vita civile (civil life). In French, the form civile is also masculine and feminine singular, with the plural civils. Common usages include code civil (civil code), droit civil (civil law), vie civile (civil life), and état civil (civil status), the latter used in references to civil registry documents (registre de l’état civil). In both languages, the term often describes nonmilitary, nonreligious, or secular aspects of society and contrasts with military or ecclesiastical spheres.

Civile can also function as a surname in Italian- or French-speaking contexts or appear in the names of organizations, publications, or projects. However, there is no single internationally prominent entity universally known simply as “Civile.” When capitalized in text, its meaning depends on context: it may denote a civil aspect in ordinary discourse or serve as a proper name in a local or domain-specific setting.

See also: civil, civil law, civil society, état civil, codice civile.