Nearby Words
adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or affecting a population or a community as a whole: public funds; a public nuisance.
2.
done, made, acting, etc., for the community as a whole: public prosecution.
3.
open to all persons: a public meeting.
4.
of, pertaining to, or being in the service of a community or nation, especially as a government officer: a public official.
5.
EXPANDmaintained at the public expense and under public control: a public library; a public road.
6.
generally known: The fact became public.
7.
familiar to the public; prominent: public figures.
8.
open to the view of all; existing or conducted in public: a public dispute.
9.
pertaining or devoted to the welfare or well-being of the community: public spirit.
10.
COLLAPSEof or pertaining to all humankind; universal.
noun
11.
the people constituting a community, state, or nation.
12.
a particular group of people with a common interest, aim, etc.: the book-buying public.
13.
British Informal. a tavern; public house.
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Non-public
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
14.
go public,
a.
to issue stock for sale to the general public.
b.
to present private or previously concealed information, news, etc., to the public; make matters open to public view: The Senator threatened to go public with his Congressional-reform plan.
15.
in public, not in private; in a situation open to public view or access; publicly: It was the first time that she had sung in public.
16.
make public, to cause to become known generally, as through the news media: Her resignation was made public this morning.
Origin:
1400–50; < Latin pūblicus (earlier pōblicus, pōplicus, akin to populus people); replacing late Middle English publique < Middle French < Latin, as above
1400–50; < Latin pūblicus (earlier pōblicus, pōplicus, akin to populus people); replacing late Middle English publique < Middle French < Latin, as above
Related forms
non·pub·lic, adjective
qua·si-pub·lic, adjective
qua·si-pub·lic·ly, adverb
un·pub·lic, adjective
un·pub·lic·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To non-public
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
public
1436, "pertaining to the people," from O.Fr. public (1311), from L. publicus, altered (by influence of L. pubes "adult population, adult") from Old L. poplicus "pertaining to the people," from populus "people." Meaning "open to all in the community" is from 1542. The noun meaning "the community" is attested
EXPANDfrom 1611. Public enemy is attested from 1756. Public relations first recorded 1913 (after an isolated use by Thomas Jefferson in 1807); abbreviation P.R. is from 1942. Public school is from 1580, originally, in Britain, a grammar school endowed for the benefit of the public, but most have evolved into boarding-schools for the well-to-do. The main modern meaning in U.S., "school (usually free) provided at public expense and run by local authorities," is attested from 1644. For public house, see pub.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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