polizia

Forms

polizia f (plural polizie)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin polītīa (“political organization, constitution, government”), recorded in the 4th century in Ambrose.^[2][3][4][5] The Latin word is from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía, “citizenship, government, constitution”), from πολίτης (polítēs, “citizen”), from πόλις (pólis, “city”).^[3][6][7]

The modern sense, the public force that keeps order, is a calque on French police, which has had that meaning since 1606.^[2][3] The French Revolution made the word universal, and Napoleon's conquests spread it through the languages of Europe.^[3][8][4] English policy and German Polizei also go back to the French.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in 1363, in the Italian version of Marsilius of Padua, for the system by which a city is well governed.^[2][6] Tommaseo quotes Burchiello, in the 15th century, on a magistrate who with his polizia “so orders his country and its government” that the enemy is beaten without a fight.^[9]

Semantic evolution

The sense “laws and regulations for the safety of citizens” appears in Francesco Mario Pagano, before 1799, and in 1797 the word names the body of officers itself.^[2] In 1799 Carlo Porta cursed the polizia that kept him running all night for a passport.^[2] In 1871 Tommaseo noted that the Greek word was common in the cities but unknown to most of the nation, and that Tuscany had said buon governo and Piedmont questura.^[2]

Poliziotto “policeman” was a popular neologism in Venice in 1829 and is found in Giuseppe Rovani in 1843;^[2] poliziesco dates from 1871, and romanzo poliziesco “detective novel” from 1917–1927.^[2] Donna-poliziotto (1911) is a calque on English policewoman.^[2]

Timeline

• 1363 – The Italian Marsilius of Padua uses polizia for good government.^[2]
• 1797 – The word names a body of police officers.^[2]
• 1829 – Venetian polizioto “policeman” is recorded by Boerio.^[2]
• 1871 – Poliziesco is recorded by Tommaseo.^[2]
• 1911 – Donna-poliziotto “policewoman” appears.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The activity of the state that keeps public order and protects citizens by watching over, preventing and repressing crime.^[6][5][7]
2. The police, the force that carries out this activity: Hanno chiamato la polizia.^[6][7][10]
3. (colloquial) A police station; a police car.^[6][7][10]
4. (archaic) A form of government, a polity.^[6][1]

Word family

• poliziesco
• poliziotto

Related words

• questura
• politico
• pulizia
• French police

Usage notes

GRADIT lists an obsolete second polizia (from 1513) meaning “cleanliness” and “refinement of manners”, a variant of the same word influenced by polito and polire; in this sense the standard form is pulizia.^[6][11][12] Fixed expressions include stato di polizia “police state”.^[10][13]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3002
5. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
8. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 792
9. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
10. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
11. ^ Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
12. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
13. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli