civility

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English civilite,^[2][3][4] partly borrowed from Middle French civilité and partly borrowed from Latin cīvīlitās (“the art of governing, politics; courtesy”),^[5][4][6][2] from cīvīlis (“of a citizen, of public life; courteous”) and the suffix -tās,^[5][3][4] the source of civil.^[3][7] In classical Latin cīvīlitās meant the art of civil government, after Ancient Greek πολιτική (politikḗ), and also unassuming behaviour; in post-classical Latin it also meant citizenship, after πολιτεία (politeía), the body of citizens and social order.^[5] The Middle French word is recorded for an organized community or political system from about 1370 and for polite behaviour from 1409.^[5] Compare Catalan civilitat, Spanish civilidad, Portuguese civilidade and Italian civiltà.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The status of being a citizen, citizenship: about 1384, in the early version of the Wycliffite Bible,^[5][3] a sense the OED records until 1555.^[5][8]

Semantic evolution

The early senses concern citizenship and civil order: civil order and the absence of anarchy (c. 1454), civil government (1537–1670) and good citizenship or orderly behaviour (1537–1759).^[5][8][7] A group of senses about the secular as against the spiritual (secular power, about 1450) died out in the 17th century.^[5] From 1531 civility also meant the state of being civilized, what is now called civilization, a sense now somewhat archaic;^[5][8][9] Johnson (1755) gave it first, quoting Spenser's view of Ireland.^[10] The sense of politeness or courtesy arose in the mid 16th century (1561 in the OED),^[7][8][3] and by 1645 civilities were acts or expressions of politeness.^[8][9] Merriam-Webster Unabridged also records a modern sense, the shared civil rights and duties of a civil order.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1384 – citizenship (obsolete by 1555).^[5][3]
• c. 1450 – secular power or dominion (obsolete).^[5]
• c. 1454 – civil order, absence of anarchy.^[5]
• 1531 – the state of being civilized, civilization.^[5][8]
• 1537 – civil government; good citizenship (obsolete).^[5]
• 1561 – politeness, courtesy.^[8]
• 1645 – usually in the plural, an act or expression of politeness.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. Formal politeness or courtesy in behaviour or speech: They treated their rivals with cold civility.^[11][4][5]
2. An act or expression of politeness; usually in the plural: After the usual civilities, the meeting began.^[11][9][8]
3. (archaic) The state of being civilized; civilization.^[4][5][9]
4. Civil order; the shared civil rights and duties of citizens.^[4][5]
5. (obsolete, 1384–1555) Citizenship.^[5][9]
6. (obsolete) Civil government or polity.^[4][5][9]

Word family

• incivility
• overcivility

Related words

• civil
• civilian
• civilization
• civic
• city

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ a b c Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
9. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
11. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins