police

== English == === Etymology === From Middle French police, from Latin polītīa (“state, government”), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía). Doublet of policy, polis (“police”), and polity. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General Australian, Scotland) IPA(key): /pəˈliːs/ (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /pəˈlis/, [pʰə̆ˈliˑs] (Scotland, Northumbria) IPA(key): /ˈpɒl.ɪs/ (Southern US, African-American Vernacular) IPA(key): /ˈpoʊ.liːs/ (South Asia) Homophone: (Scotland) polis Hyphenation: po‧lice Rhymes: -iːs, (Scotland also) -ɒlɪs, (Southern US also) -əʊliːs, (South Asia also) -ɒliːs, -ɒlɪs === Noun === police pl (normally plural, singular police) (law enforcement) A constituted body of officers representing the civil authority of government, empowered to maintain public order and safety, enforce the law, and prevent, detect, and investigate crime. [from 18th c.] 1943, Charles Reith, British Police and the Democratic Ideal, pp. 3–4: There are nine Principles of Police:...7 To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen, in the interests of community welfare and existence. 1990 Sept. 13, David Black & al., "Prescription for Death", Law & Order, 00:00:01: In the criminal justice system, the People are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. (Canada, US and historical) A department of local (usually municipal) government responsible for general law enforcement. (UK) A branch of the Home Office responsible for general law enforcement within a specific territory. (Australia, New Zealand) Any of the formally enacted law enforcement agencies at various levels of government. (usually plural only) The staff of such a department or agency, particularly its officers; (regional, chiefly US, Caribbean, Jamaica, Scotland, countable) an individual police officer. [from 19th c.] 2006 Sept. 17, David Mills, "Soft Eyes", The Wire, 00:06:50: Pearlman: Very clever, Lester. You got it all figured, huh?Freamon: Me? I'm just a police. (figuratively, usually ironic and mildly derogatory) People who try to enforce norms or standards as if granted authority similar to the police. (military, slang) Cleanup of a military facility, as a formal duty. (archaic, now rare) Synonym of administration, the regulation of a community or society. [from 17th c.] (obsolete) Alternative form of policy. [15th–19th c.] (obsolete) Alternative form of polity, civilization, a regulated community. [16th–19th c.] ==== Usage notes ==== In North America and the UK, local police are generally distinguished from regional, national, and specialized law enforcement officers such as sheriffs, marshals, bailiffs, FBI special agents, and NCA investigators. In Australia and New Zealand and in translation of the law enforcement agencies of other countries, police may refer indiscriminately to law enforcement agencies and officers at any level. ==== Synonyms ==== (law enforcement agency): See Thesaurus:police (law enforcement officers): See Thesaurus:police officer ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Central Bikol: pulis → Dari: پُولِیس (pūlīs) → Hindustani: Hindi: पुलिस (pulis), पोलिस (polis) Urdu: پُولِس (pūlis), پُلِیس (pulīs), پُولِیس (pūlīs) → Burmese: ပုလိပ် (pu.lip) → Malay: polis → Sindhi: پُولِيسَ (pūlīsa) → Tagalog: pulis → Tamil: போலீசு (pōlīcu), போலீஸ் (pōlīs) ==== Translations ==== === Verb === police (third-person singular simple present polices, present participle policing, simple past and past participle policed) (transitive) To enforce the law and keep order among (a group). (ambitransitive, military, slang) To clean up an area. 1986, Oliver Stone, Platoon (film script) ELIAS: Police up your extra ammo and frags, don't leave nothing for the dinks. (transitive, figurative) To enforce norms or standards upon. to police a person's identity ==== Derived terms ==== === Anagrams === ecilop == Czech == === Etymology === Inherited from Old Czech policě, from Proto-Slavic *polica. By surface analysis, půl +‎ -ice. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈpolɪt͡sɛ] === Noun === police f shelf (a structure) ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “police”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957 “police”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989 “police”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2026 == Danish == === Etymology === Via Middle French police and Italian polizza from Ancient Greek ἀπόδειξις (apódeixis, “proof”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [pʰoˈliːsə] === Noun === police c (singular definite policen, plural indefinite policer) policy (an insurance contract) ==== Declension ==== == French == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /pɔ.lis/ Rhymes: -is === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from Late Latin polītīa (“state, government”), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía). ==== Noun ==== police f (plural polices) police Coordinate terms: gendarmerie, sûreté Fuyez, la police arrive ! ― Run, the police are coming! (Quebec, colloquial) cop (police officer) Synonyms: flic, gendarme, keuf, policier ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from Italian polizza. ==== Noun ==== police f (plural polices) (insurance) policy police d'assurance ― insurance policy (typography) font police de caractères ― font family police d'écriture ― typeface ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== === Etymology 3 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Verb ==== police inflection of policer: first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive second-person singular imperative === Further reading === “police”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 === Anagrams === picole, picolé == Middle French == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin politia. === Noun === police f (plural polices) governance; management 1577, Jean d'Ogerolles, Discours sur la contagion de peste qui a esté ceste presente annee en la ville de Lyon, front cover ==== Related terms ==== policie == Norman == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin politia. === Noun === police f (uncountable) (Jersey) police == Serbo-Croatian == === Noun === police (Cyrillic spelling полице) inflection of polica: genitive singular nominative/accusative/vocative plural == Slovak == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈpɔlit͡sɛ/ === Noun === police inflection of polica: genitive singular nominative/accusative plural