publicam

Publicam is the feminine accusative singular form of the Latin adjective publicus, meaning "public" or "of the state." It agrees with feminine singular nouns in the accusative case and is used in descriptive phrases involving public affairs, law, or institutions.

Common uses include rem publicam ("the public matter" or the state's affairs) and legem publicam ("the public law"). In phrases such as res publica, the concept of the public state is expressed, with publicam appearing as the descriptive form when the noun is in the accusative, or in other cases when the grammar requires it.

Morphology and decline: publicus is a second-declension adjective. Its feminine singular forms are publica (nominative), publicae (genitive and dative), publicam (accusative), and publica (ablative). The masculine form is publicus and the neuter is publicum, with corresponding case endings. Thus publicam specifically marks feminine singular nouns as the direct object or as governed by a preposition requiring the accusative.

Etymology and meaning: publicus derives from Latin roots related to populus (the people) and the notion of public life. The phrase res publica encapsulates this idea, referring to the public matter or the commonwealth; publicam, within that framework, functions as the adjectival form modifying feminine nouns.

See also: Latin grammar of adjectives; res publica; publicus.