public
Definitions
Open to or shared by all the people of a community; not private
公共的，公用的；公开的
Relating to the government and its services for the people
公立的，政府的，公职的
Ordinary people in general; the community as a whole (the public)
公众，民众，大众
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedStraight from Latin pūblicus 'of the people, belonging to the community' (shaped by populus 'the people'). The whole word is the root, so public means simply 'of everyone, not of one private person.' That single idea splits into the adjective (a public park, open to all) and the noun (the public, the people themselves), always defined against private.
Root public still carries 6 more wordsWhy It Means This
Public is built on the contrast public vs private, which goes all the way back to Roman life: pūblicus things (roads, baths, the treasury) belonged to the whole community, while prīvātus things belonged to one household. English keeps both halves of the word's life in one form: as an adjective it labels what is shared by everyone (public transport, public school, public health); as a noun, 'the public' is the people themselves. Whenever you meet a public- word, the citizen-community idea is hiding inside it.
Usage Guide
- 'in public' = where others can see (opposite: in private). 'the public' (with the) = the people; takes singular or plural verb in BrE.
- Watch the BrE trap: a 'public school' in Britain is a fee-paying private school; in the US it means a state-funded school.
- 'go public' = (1) tell everyone openly; (2) (business) become a publicly traded company by selling shares.
- 'make something public' = reveal it; 'public figure / public eye' = well known, exposed to scrutiny.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The new museum is free and open to the public every day.
- 2.
Smoking is banned in most public places in the city.
- 3.
Public opinion turned sharply against the government's new policy.
- 4.
The general public has the right to know how the money was spent.
- 5.
She works in the public sector, not for a private company.
Easily Confused
public vs private — these are direct opposites, but the BrE 'public school' reverses the intuition: it's a posh private school, not a state one. Use 'state school' (BrE) or 'public school' (AmE) for government-funded schools. For the verb idea, 'make public' (reveal) is not the same as 'publicize' (actively promote): you make a secret public, but you publicize an event.