Etymology

politics

pol·i·tics
P3O1L1I1T1I1C3S1

Today it means: A methodology and activities associated with the interpersonal aspects of running a government, an organization, or a movement. Full definition →

English politic ← Middle French politique ← Latin polīticus
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tpelH-
  2. Proto-Hellenic*ptólis
  3. Ancient Greekπόλις (pólis)
  4. Ancient Greekπολῑ́της (polī́tēs)
  5. Ancient Greekπολιτικός (politikós)
  6. Latinpolīticus
  7. Middle Frenchpolitique
  8. Englishpolitic
  9. English todaypolitics

From politic + -s. By analogy with Aristotle’s τά πολῑτῐκᾱ́ (tá polītĭkā́, “affairs of state”), a plural noun phrase.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.