publicum
9.9
The people of a community as a whole
- noun
- /ˈpʌblɪkəm/
- Archaic
:
público
- In a democracy, the welfare of the publicum is a priority for all elected officials.
Examples
-
Historically, decisions affecting the publicum were made without input from the citizens.
-
The lawyer emphasized the importance of considering the publicum when drafting the new legislation.
-
Chiefly, the idea of the Republic raised publica, the thing of the people.
Synonyms
public
vspublicum
∞
1.0
People in general, not a small private group
is the classical or legal term for the same community concept
hoi polloi
vspublicum
4
9.0
People in a society who are not rich or powerful
is a neutral collective term without the implied contempt or class contrast
1
7.2
Ordinary people who are not nobles or rulers
is broader and used as a general classical community term
9.9
Ordinary people in a society
is a formal classical term rather than a literary or dated expression
Surface Forms
Etymology
Publicum comes from the Latin publicus 'of the people' and populus 'people'. It originally meant the people or community as a whole, so 'public' today means the general population or the community at large.