publicpublic

The story

The adjective and noun are derived from Late Middle English publik, publike (‘(adjective) generally observable, public; relating to the general public or public affairs; (noun) a generally observable place or situation’), from Anglo-Norman public, publik, publique, Middle French public, publique, and Old French public (‘(adjective) generally observable, public; relating to the general public; official; (noun) community or its members collectively; nation, state; audience, spectators collectively’) (modern French public, publique (obsolete)); and from their etymon Latin pūblicus (‘of or belonging to the community, people, or state; general, public’), an alteration of poplicus (influenced by pūbēs (‘adult men; male population’)), from poplus (‘community; the people, public; nation, state’) (later populus; from Proto-Italic *poplos (‘army’); further origin uncertain, possibly from Etruscan or from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (‘to fill’)) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). The Middle English word displaced native Old English ceorlfolc and folclic.