Police

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: po=lice

CIDE DICTIONARY

Police, n. [F., fr. L. politia the condition of a state, government, administration, Gr. , fr. to be a citizen, to govern or administer a state, fr. citizen, fr. city; akin to Skr. pur, puri. Cf. Policy polity, Polity.].

•  A judicial and executive system, for the government of a city, town, or district, for the preservation of rights, order, cleanliness, health, etc., and for the enforcement of the laws and prevention of crime; the administration of the laws and regulations of a city, incorporated town, or borough.  [1913 Webster]
•  That which concerns the order of the community; the internal regulation of a state.  [1913 Webster]
•  The organized body of civil officers in a city, town, or district, whose particular duties are the preservation of good order, the prevention and detection of crime, and the enforcement of the laws.  [1913 Webster]
•  Military police, the body of soldiers detailed to preserve civil order and attend to sanitary arrangements in a camp or garrison.  [1913 Webster]
•  The cleaning of a camp or garrison, or the state 1913 Webster]

Police commissioner, a civil officer, usually one of a board, commissioned to regulate and control the appointment, duties, and discipline of the police. -- Police constable, or Police officer, a policeman. -- Police court, a minor court to try persons brought before it by the police. -- Police inspector, an officer of police ranking next below a superintendent. -- Police jury, a body of officers who collectively exercise jurisdiction in certain cases of police, as levying taxes, etc.; -- so called in Louisiana. Bouvier. -- Police justice, or Police magistrate, a judge of a police court. -- Police offenses (Law), minor offenses against the order of the community, of which a police court may have final jurisdiction. -- Police station, the headquarters of the police, or of a section of them; the place where the police assemble for orders, and to which they take arrested persons.

Police, v. t. 

•  To keep in order by police.  [1913 Webster]
•  To make clean; as, to police a camp.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Police, n. & v.
--n.
1 (usu. prec. by the) the civil force of a State, responsible for maintaining public order.
2 (as pl.) the members of a police force (several hundred police).
3 a force with similar functions of enforcing regulations (military police; railway police).
--v.tr.
1 control (a country or area) by means of police.
2 provide with police.
3 keep order in; control.

Idiom

police constable see CONSTABLE. police dog a dog, esp. an Alsatian, used in police work. police officer a policeman or policewoman. police State a totalitarian State controlled by political police supervising the citizens' activities. police station the office of a local police force.

Etymology

F f. med.L politia POLICY(1)

DEVIL DICTIONARY

Police

n. An armed force for protection and participation.

THESAURUS

Police

Cheka, FBI, Gestapo, Interpol, MP, MVD, Mounties, NKVD, OGPU, RCMP, SP, Scotland Yard, administer, arm, armor, bless, bull, champion, clean up, clear the decks, clear up, cloak, compass about, constabulary, control, cop, copper, copyright, county police, cover, cushion, defend, enforce, ensure, fence, fend, fix up, fuzz, groom, guarantee, guard, harbor, haven, heat, highway patrol, insure, keep, keep from harm, keep guard, keep vigil, keep watch, law enforcement agency, make safe, man, military police, monitor, mount guard, neaten, nestle, observe, officer, oversee, patent, patrol, peace officer, police force, police officer, police up, political police, posse, protect, provincial police, put in trim, register, regulate, ride shotgun for, riot police, safeguard, screen, secret police, secure, security force, shelter, shield, shore patrol, shroud, special police, spruce, spruce up, stand guard, stand sentinel, state police, straighten up, supervise, tactical police, the cops, the fuzz, tidy, tidy up, trig up, trim, trim up, troopers, underwrite, vigilance committee, vigilantes, watch

ROGET THESAURUS

Police

Jurisdiction

N jurisdiction, judicature, administration of justice, soc, executive, commission of the peace, magistracy, judge, tribunal, municipality, corporation, bailiwick, shrievalty, lord lieutenant, sheriff, shire reeve, shrieve, constable, selectman, police, police force, the fuzz, constabulary, bumbledom, gendarmerie, officer, bailiff, tipstaff, bum-bailiff, catchpoll, beadle, policeman, cop, police constable, police sergeant, sbirro, alguazil, gendarme, kavass, lictor, mace bearer, huissier, bedel, tithingman, press gang, exciseman, gauger, gager, customhouse officer, douanier, coroner, edile, aedile, portreeve, paritor, posse comitatus, bureau, cutcherry, department, secretariat, long arm of the law, extradition, executive, administrative, municipal, inquisitorial, causidical, judicatory, judiciary, judicial, juridical, coram judice.