Word
polis
Phoneticspo·lis
US/ˈpoʊɫaɪz/
UK/pˈəʊliz/
Definitions
01ancient Greek city-state
n. a city in ancient Greece that was like its own small country with its own laws.
n. a city-state in ancient Greece, typically consisting of an urban centre and its surrounding territory, functioning as a sovereign political entity.
“Athens was the most famous polis in the ancient world.”
“The development of the polis as a distinct political unit was fundamental to the evolution of Western democratic ideals.”
Technical · Academic
Usage
Usually used in singular or plural (poleis) when discussing classical history.
Synonyms
02the police
n. a slang word for the police used in Scotland, Ireland, and Northern England.
n. a dialectal variant of 'police', used collectively for the force or to refer to an individual officer.
“He ran away as soon as he saw the polis coming down the street.”
“The local youths scattered quickly, shouting a warning that the polis were approaching the estate.”
Dialect · Slang · Informal
Usage
Often functions as an uncountable noun for the institution, but can be countable for an officer in specific dialects.
Teaching tip
This is highly regional; learners should recognize it in Scottish or Irish literature but avoid using it in standard international English.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- Proto-Hellenic *ptólis Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis)lbor. English polis Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis, “fortified town; city state”).
Borrowed from Scots polis. Doublet of police, policy, and polity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/polis