Etymologically
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public

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /py.blik/[1]

Forms

public (feminine publique, masculine plural publics, feminine plural publiques)[1] Old French publique for both genders (1238); peuplique and puplique after Latin poplicus.[2][3] The masculine public appears at the end of the 15th century.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin pūblicus (“of the people or the State; of common use, common to all”).[3][2][5][6][7][1] The Latin adjective goes with populus (“people”) (see peuple); the TLFi, after Ernout and Meillet, holds that there is no etymological link, while Rey suggests a crossing of an unrecorded “*pūbicus”, from pūbēs (“adult men”), with the archaic poplicus.[3][2] The masculine “public” was drawn from “publique”, which served for both genders until the 17th century.[3][5] The noun is the adjective used as a noun.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A 1238 Walloon document has paix et utilité publique, of what concerns the people as a whole.[3]

Semantic evolution

Bien publique is found in 1362 and la chose publique, a calque of Latin res publica, about 1355.[3][2][5] About 1330 public meant known to all, in 1390 acting for everyone (notaire publique), and in 1538 common, open to all (place publique).[3] A femme publique (1539–49) or fille publique (1771) was a prostitute.[3] Public office and the State came next: charges et fonctions publiques (1585), homme public (1690), the opposition to privé.[3][2]

As a noun it meant the people in general from the 16th century and the audience of a show from the 17th.[5] Its use for readers or spectators is dated 1671 in the TLFi, but Quemada's datings find it in 1587.[3][8]

Timeline

  • 1238 – Utilité publique.[3]
  • c. 1355 – La chose publique, Bersuire.[4]
  • 1390 – Notaire publique.[3]
  • 1538 – Place publique, Robert Estienne.[3]
  • 1587 – Le public, the reading public.[8]
  • 1690 – Homme public, Furetière.[3]
  • 1771 – Fille publique.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of the people as a whole, of the community: l'intérêt public, l'opinion publique, l'ordre public.[9][1]
  2. Of the State, run by the State, as opposed to privé: le secteur public, l'école publique, la fonction publique.[3][9]
  3. Open to all: jardin public, la voie publique; done before others: une séance publique.[9][1]
  4. Known to all: de notoriété publique, un homme public, one in public life.[9][1]

Noun

  1. The public, people in general: interdit au public, le grand public.[3][10]
  2. An audience, readership or clientele: le public d'un théâtre.[10][1]
  3. En public: in front of others.[1]
  4. (familiar) The public sector: travailler dans le public.[10]

Word family

  • publiquement
  • publicité
  • publiciste
  • semi-public

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 506b
  8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)