public: [15] Public means etymologically ‘of the people’. It comes via Old French public from Latin pūblicus, an alteration (apparently inspired by pūber ‘adult’, source of English puberty) of poplicus ‘of the people’, which was derived from populus ‘people’ (source of English people, popular, etc). Publicity [19] was borrowed from the French derivative publicité. => people, popular, pub, publish
public (adj.)
late 14c., "open to general observation," from Old French public (c. 1300) and directly from Latin publicus "of the people; of the state; done for the state," also "common, general, public; ordinary, vulgar," and as a noun, "a commonwealth; public property," altered (probably by influence of Latin pubes "adult population, adult") from Old Latin poplicus "pertaining to the people," from populus "people" (see people (n.)).
Early 15c. as "pertaining to the people." From late 15c. as "pertaining to public affairs;" meaning "open to all in the community" is from 1540s in English. An Old English adjective in this sense was folclic. Public relations first recorded 1913 (after an isolated use by Thomas Jefferson in 1807). Public office "position held by a public official" is from 1821; public service is from 1570s; public interest from 1670s. Public-spirited is from 1670s. Public enemy is attested from 1756. Public sector attested from 1949. Public funds (1713) are the funded debts of a government.
Public school is from 1570s, originally, in Britain, a grammar school endowed for the benefit of the public, but most have evolved into boarding-schools for the well-to-do. The main modern meaning in U.S., "school (usually free) provided at public expense and run by local authorities," is attested from 1640s. For public house, see pub.
public (n.)
"the community," 1610s, from public (adj.); meaning "people in general" is from 1660s. In public "in public view, publicly" is attested from c. 1500.
双语例句
1. The public never had faith in his ability to handle the job.
公众从来不相信他有能力胜任这一职位。
来自柯林斯例句
2. There needs to be a properly informed public debate.
有必要让公众在充分知情的状况下展开辩论。
来自柯林斯例句
3. He was headmaster of a public school in the West of England.
他是英格兰西部一所公学的校长。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Its new title was meant to give the party greater public appeal.
新的党名意在使该党对公众具有更强的吸引力。
来自柯林斯例句
5. Someone cranked up the volume of the public address system.