Added 9 October 2026
polity
/ˈpɒl.ɪ.ti/ noun
In Latin: polītīa Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about polity at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Organizational structure and governance, especially of a state or a religion.
Church polity was a topic of fierce dispute in 17th-century Britain.
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A politically organized unit, especially a nation of people, a class or ingroup that governs it, or the state ruled thereby.
New polities emerged in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Origin
From Middle French politie, from Latin polītīa, from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía, “polity, policy, the state”). Doublet of police, policy, and polis (“police”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)