öffentliche

Öffentliche is the inflected form of the German adjective öffentlich, meaning "public" or "open to the public." In standard usage it describes things related to the public or accessible to everyone. When used as a noun or in a nominalized phrase, it is often written with initial capital as das Öffentliche to denote the public realm, the public sphere, or matters concerning the general populace. In everyday language, the noun Öffentlichkeit is more common for “the public” in a social sense, while das Öffentliche appears mainly in formal, legal, or literary contexts.

Common uses include a variety of compounds where öffentlich modifies another noun: öffentliche Verkehrsmittel (public transportation), öffentliche Sicherheit (public safety), öffentliche Ordnung (public order), and öffentliche Meinung or öffentliche Meinung (public opinion). These formations are widespread in politics, administration, media, and civic discourse.

In philosophy and social science, related terms such as Öffentlichkeit refer to the public sphere—the space where citizens discuss and form collective opinions independent of private interests. The concept is central in discussions of democracy, media, and civil society, with notable treatments by theorists like Jürgen Habermas. The practical counterpart in law and governance is often expressed with the adjective öffentlich in phrases like öffentliches Recht (public law) and other references to public affairs or state responsibility.

Notes on usage: while the form das Öffentliche can occur in legal, academic, or stylistic contexts, everyday German typically prefers the noun Öffentlichkeit or the common adjectives in context. The term reflects the broad distinction between what concerns the public as a whole and what is private to individuals.