öffentlicher

Öffentlicher is the inflected attributive form of the German adjective öffentlich, meaning public or open to the public. It is used to describe things that belong to or are accessible by the general public, or to denote the public sector. Typical contexts include the public space (öffentlicher Raum), public services (ein öffentlicher Dienst), and events that are open to everyone (eine öffentliche Veranstaltung). The form of the adjective changes with article, case, and gender: for masculine singular nouns without a definite article or after possessive determiners, the form öffentlicher is common (ein öffentlicher Dienst, öffentlicher Raum). With a definite article the ending is -e (der öffentliche Raum). Other patterns include feminine and neuter forms found in phrases like die öffentliche Schule or das öffentliche Interesse.

Etymology traces öffentlich to the German root related to opening or openness, with the suffix -lich forming the adjective. The sense evolved from “open to observation or participation by all” to more specific meanings connected with the public realm, the state, or what concerns society at large.

Usage and scope: öffentlich and its inflected forms cover many domains—public administration (öffentlicher Dienst, öffentlich-rechtlich), public life (öffentliche Meinung, öffentliches Leben), and accessibility (öffentliche Verkehrsmittel, öffentlich zugänglich). The noun Öffent­lichkeit denotes the public sphere or visibility of matters to the public.

See also: öffentlich, Öffentlichkeit, öffentlich-rechtlich.