public

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: pub=lic
• COUNT in NET: 21 in 21 verses (in OT : 13 in 13 verses) (in NT : 8 in 8 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

public, a. [L. publicus, poblicus, fr. populus people: cf. F. public. See People.].

•  Of or pertaining to the people; belonging to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community; -- opposed to private; as, the public treasury.  [1913 Webster]

  "To the public good
  Private respects must yield."  [1913 Webster]

  "He [Alexander Hamilton] touched the dead corpse of the public credit, and it sprung upon its feet."  [1913 Webster]
•  Open to the knowledge or view of all; general; common; notorious; as, public report; public scandal.  [1913 Webster]

  "Joseph, . . . not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily."  [1913 Webster]
•  Open to common or general use; as, a public road; a public house.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

public act or public statute (Law), an act or statute affecting matters of public concern. Of such statutes the courts take judicial notice. -- Public credit. See under Credit. -- Public funds. See Fund, 3. -- Public house, an inn, or house of entertainment. -- Public law. (a) See International law, under International. (b) A public act or statute. -- Public nuisance. (Law) See under Nuisance. -- Public orator. (Eng. Universities) See Orator, 3. -- Public stores, military and naval stores, equipments, etc. -- Public works, all fixed works built by civil engineers for public use, as railways, docks, canals, etc.; but strictly, military and civil engineering works constructed at the public cost.

public, n. 

•  The general body of mankind, or of a nation, state, or community; the people, indefinitely; as, the American public; also, a particular body or aggregation of people; as, an author's public.  [1913 Webster]

  "The public is more disposed to censure than to praise."  [1913 Webster]
•  A public house; an inn.  Sir W. Scott.  [1913 Webster]

In public, openly; before an audience or the people at large; not in private or secrecy. “We are to speak in public.” Shak.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

public, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 of or concerning the people as a whole (a public holiday; the public interest).
2 open to or shared by all the people (public baths; public library; public meeting).
3 done or existing openly (made his views public; a public protest).
4 a (of a service, funds, etc.) provided by or concerning local or central government (public money; public records; public expenditure). b (of a person) in government (had a distinguished public career).
5 well-known; famous (a public institution).
6 Brit. of, for, or acting for, a university (public examination).
--n.
1 (as sing. or pl.) the community in general, or members of the community.
2 a section of the community having a particular interest or in some special connection (the reading public; my public demands my loyalty).
3 Brit. colloq. a = public bar. b = public house.

Idiom

go public become a public company. in public openly, publicly. in the public domain belonging to the public as a whole, esp. not subject to copyright. in the public eye famous or notorious. public act an act of legislation affecting the public as a whole. public-address system loudspeakers, microphones, amplifiers, etc., used in addressing large audiences. public bar Brit. the least expensive bar in a public house. public bill a bill of legislation affecting the public as a whole. public company Brit. a company that sells shares to all buyers on the open market. public enemy a notorious wanted criminal. public figure a famous person. public health the provision of adequate sanitation, drainage, etc. by government. public house
1 Brit. an inn providing alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises.
2 an inn.
public law
1 the law of relations between individuals and the State.
2 = public act. public lending right the right of authors to payment when their books etc. are lent by public libraries. public libel a published libel.
public nuisance
1 an illegal act against the public generally.
2 colloq. an obnoxious person. public opinion views, esp. moral, prevalent among the general public. public ownership the State ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange. public prosecutor a law officer conducting criminal proceedings on behalf of the State or in the public interest. Public Record Office an institution keeping official archives, esp. birth, marriage, and death certificates, for public inspection. public relations the professional maintenance of a favourable public image, esp. by a company, famous person, etc. public relations officer a person employed by a company etc. to promote a favourable public image.
public school
1 Brit. a private fee-paying secondary school, esp. for boarders.
2 US, Austral., & Sc. etc. any non-fee-paying school. public sector that part of an economy, industry, etc., that is controlled by the State. public servant a State official. public spirit a willingness to engage in community action. public-spirited having a public spirit. public-spiritedly in a public-spirited manner. public-spiritedness the quality of being public-spirited. public transport buses, trains, etc., charging set fares and running on fixed routes, esp. when State-owned. public utility an organization supplying water, gas, etc. to the community. public works building operations etc. done by or for the State on behalf of the community. public wrong an offence against society as a whole.

Derivative

publicly adv.

Etymology

ME f. OF public or L publicus f. pubes adult

THESAURUS

public

Babbittish, Everyman, John Doe, Philistine, Public, accessible, acknowledged, adherent, admitted, affirmed, alehouse, announced, apparent, appendage, associated, attendant, audience, available, bar, barrel house, barroom, beer garden, beer parlor, bistro, blatant, blind tiger, boardinghouse, body politic, bourgeois, bourgeoisie, broadcast, brought to notice, buff, business, buyers, cabaret, cafe, campy, carriage trade, catholic, cavaliere servente, celebrated, circulated, citizenry, citizens, civic, civil, clear, clear-cut, clientage, clientele, cocktail lounge, collective, collectivistic, common, common knowledge, common man, common property, commonalty, commonly known, commonplace, commonwealth, communal, communistic, community, community at large, commutual, conjoint, conjunct, conspicuous, constituency, consumers, cooperative, cortical, cosmopolitan, courtier, cultural community, current, custom, dangler, declared, demos, dependent, diffused, disciple, disreputable, disseminated, distributed, dive, dorm, dormitory, doss house, dramshop, drinking saloon, dwellers, eminent, epidermic, estate, everybody, everyman, everyone, everywoman, exomorphic, exposed, exterior, external, extrinsic, familiar, famous, fan, flagrant, fleabag, flophouse, flunky, folk, folks, follower, followers, following, free, fringe, general, general public, gentry, gin mill, government, governmental, groggery, grogshop, guest house, habitancy, hackneyed, hanger-on, henchman, high-camp, hoi polloi, homely, homespun, homme de cour, honky-tonk, hospice, hostel, hostelry, hotel, household, illustrious, in circulation, in common, in print, in public, in the open, infamous, influential, inhabitants, inn, international, joint, kitschy, known, linguistic community, local, lodging house, low-camp, made public, make public, manifest, market, masses, men, middle class, multitude, municipal, mutual, nation, national, nationality, nightclub, notable, noted, notorious, obvious, open, openly, ordinary, out, outer, outermost, outlying, outmost, outside, outstanding, outward, outward-facing, overt, parasite, partisan, patent, patronage, pension, people, people at large, people in general, peripheral, persons, plain, platitudinous, plebeian, plebeians, polity, pop, populace, popular, population, portion, posada, pothouse, proclaimed, projected, proletariat, prominent, propagated, proverbial, pub, public house, publicly, publish, published, purchasing public, pursuer, pursuivant, rank and file, rathskeller, reciprocal, renowned, reported, roadhouse, rooming house, roundabout, rumshop, rural market, saloon, saloon bar, satellite, sectary, sector, seeming, segment, shadow, shared, social, socialistic, societal, society, speakeasy, special-interest group, speech community, spread, state, stated, stooge, suburban market, successor, suite, superficial, supporter, supranational, surface, tagtail, tail, talked-about, talked-of, taproom, tavern, telecast, televised, the citizenry, the general public, the people, the populace, the population, the public, third estate, trade, trainbearer, trite, truistic, unconcealed, universal, universally admitted, universally recognized, unrestricted, unshrouded, urban, vernacular, viewable, visible, votary, ward heeler, well-kenned, well-known, well-recognized, well-understood, whole people, widely known, widespread, wine shop, world, worldwide, you and me, youth market

ROGET THESAURUS

public

Government

N government, legal authority, soveriegn, sovereign authority, authority, master, direction, national government, nation, state, country, nation- state, dominion, republic, empire, union, democratic republic, kingdom, principality, state government, state, shire, province, county, canton, territory, duchy, archduchy, archdukedom, woiwodshaft, commonwealth, region, property, county, parish city, domain, tract, arrondissement, mofussil, commune, wappentake, hundred, riding, lathe, garth, soke, tithing, ward, precinct, bailiwick, command, empire, sway, rule, dominion, domination, sovereignty, supremacy, suzerainty, lordship, headship, chiefdom, seigniory, seigniority, rule, sway, command, control, administer, govern, lead, preside over, reign, possess the throne, be seated on the throne, occupy the throne, sway the scepter, wield the scepter, wear the crown, state, realm, body politic, posse comitatus, judicature, cabinet, seat of government, seat of authority, headquarters, accession, installation, politics, reign, regime, dynasty, directorship, dictatorship, protectorate, protectorship, caliphate, pashalic, electorate, presidency, presidentship, administration, proconsul, consulship, prefecture, seneschalship, magistrature, magistracy, monarchy, kinghood, kingship, royalty, regality, aristarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy, theocracy, demagogy, commonwealth, dominion, heteronomy, republic, republicanism, socialism, collectivism, mob law, mobocracy, ochlocracy, vox populi, imperium in imperio, bureaucracy, beadledom, bumbledom, stratocracy, military power, military government, junta, feodality, feudal system, feudalism, thearchy, theocracy, dinarchy, duarchy, triarchy, heterarchy, duumvirate, triumvirate, autocracy, autonomy, limited monarchy, constitutional government, constitutional monarchy, home rule, representative government, monocracy, pantisocracy, gynarchy, gynocracy, gynaeocracy, petticoat government, legislature, judiciary, administration, office of the president, office of the prime minister, cabinet, senate, house of representatives, parliament, council, courts, supreme court, state, interior, labor, health and human services, defense, education, agriculture, justice, commerce, treasury, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, National Institutes of Health, NIH, Postal Service, Post Office, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, president, vice president, cabinet member, prime minister, minister, senator, representatative, president pro tem, speaker of the house, department head, section head, section chief, federal judge, justice, justice of the supreme court, chief justice, treasurer, secretary of the treasury, director of the FBI, governor, state cabinet member, state senator, assemblyman, assemblywoman, regal, sovereign, governing, royal, royalist, monarchical, kingly, imperial, imperiatorial, princely, feudal, aristocratic, autocratic, oligarchic, republican, dynastic, ruling, regnant, gubernatorial, imperious, authoritative, executive, administrative, clothed with authority, official, departmental, ex officio, imperative, peremptory, overruling, absolute, hegemonic, hegemonical, authorized, government, public, national, federal, his majesty's, her majesty's, state, county, city, N, a dog's obeyed in office, cada uno tiene su alguazil, le Roi le veut, regibus esse manus en nescio longas, regnant populi, the demigod Authority, the right divine of kings to govern wrong, uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

Mankind

N man, mankind, human race, human species, human kind, human nature, humanity, mortality, flesh, generation, anthropology, anthropogeny, anthropography, anthroposophy, ethnology, ethnography, humanitarian, human being, person, personage, individual, creature, fellow creature, mortal, body, somebody, one, such a one, some one, soul, living soul, earthling, party, head, hand, dramatis personae, quidam, people, persons, folk, public, society, world, community, community at large, general public, nation, nationality, state, realm, commonweal, commonwealth, republic, body politic, million, population, tribe, clan (paternity), family (consanguinity), cosmopolite, lords of the creation, ourselves, human, mortal, personal, individual, national, civic, public, social, cosmopolitan, anthropoid, am I not a man and a brother?, man, mankind, human race, human species, human kind, human nature, humanity, mortality, flesh, generation, anthropology, anthropogeny, anthropography, anthroposophy, ethnology, ethnography, humanitarian, human being, person, personage, individual, creature, fellow creature, mortal, body, somebody, one, such a one, some one, soul, living soul, earthling, party, head, hand, dramatis personae, quidam, people, persons, folk, public, society, world, community, community at large, general public, nation, nationality, state, realm, commonweal, commonwealth, republic, body politic, million, population, tribe, clan (paternity), family (consanguinity), cosmopolite, lords of the creation, ourselves, human, mortal, personal, individual, national, civic, public, social, cosmopolitan, anthropoid, am I not a man and a brother?.

Disclosure

N disclosure, retection, unveiling, deterration, revealment, revelation, exposition, exposure, expose, whole truth, telltale, acknowledgment, avowal, confession, confessional, shrift, bursting of a bubble, denouement, tattletale, snitch, fink, stool pigeon, canary, disclosed, open, public, Int, out with it!, the murder is out, a light breaks in upon one, the scales fall from one's eyes, the eyes are opened.

Publication

N publication, public announcement, promulgation, propagation, proclamation, pronunziamento, circulation, indiction, edition, hue and cry, publicity, notoriety, currency, flagrancy, cry, bruit, hype, vox populi, report, the Press, public press, newspaper, journal, gazette, daily, telegraphy, publisher, imprint, circular, circular letter, manifesto, advertisement, ad, placard, bill, affiche, broadside, poster, notice, published, current, in circulation, public, notorious, flagrant, arrant, open, trumpet-tongued, encyclical, encyclic, promulgatory, exoteric, publicly, in open court, with open doors, Int, Oyez!, O yes!, notice!, notice is hereby given, this is to give, these are to give notice, nomina stultorum parietibus haerent, semel emissum volat irrevocabile verbum.