publicus

Publicus is a Latin adjective meaning “of the people,” “public,” or “belonging to the state.” In Classical Latin it describes things associated with the community or the state and is often contrasted with privata, meaning private. The sense encompasses public offices, public works, and public affairs, as opposed to private matters.

Etymology and forms: Publicus derives from populus, the Latin word for the people, with the standard -us ending used for second-declension adjectives. It declines like other such adjectives: masculine publicus, feminine publica, neuter publicum; plural masculine publici, feminine publicae, neuter publica.

Usage and semantic field: In Roman legal, administrative, and historical writing, publicus denotes state-related or public life and property. It participates in the broader concept of res publica, the “public thing” or the state, though this famous phrase does not itself rely on the adjective. Publicus also occurs in compounds and phrases that indicate official acts, offices, or institutions associated with the state or the community at large.

Later usage and influence: In medieval and early modern Latin, the sense of publicus persisted as Latin terminology for public law, public offices, and public affairs. The term also functions as the linguistic root for many modern descendants in Romance languages and for English words such as public and publication, through related forms and derivatives in Latin.

See also: res publica, publication, publish.