Added 8 October 2026
police
/pəˈliːs/ noun
In Latin: vigilia, vigiles, denutiatores Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about police at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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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. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
Call the police!
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A department of local (usually municipal) government responsible for general law enforcement.
The Cook County Sheriff's Department has jurisdiction across most of Chicago but focuses on the unincorporated area and tasks like prisoner transport, leaving the rest to the Chicago Police Department.
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A branch of the Home Office responsible for general law enforcement within a specific territory.
Scotland Yard is, technically speaking, only the metropolitan police for Greater London but because of their importance they have special jurisdiction for some crimes across the United Kingdom.
verb
Origin
From Middle French police, from Latin polītīa (“state, government”), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía). Doublet of policy, polis (“police”), and polity.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)