"police" in seven languages
Meaningpolice
Spanish
policía
/poliˈθia/
fem.learned
La policía is the force; el/la policía is a police officer.
French
police
/pɔlis/
fem.learned
Italian
polizia
/politˈtsia/
fem.learned
Portuguese
polícia
/poˈlisjɐ/
fem.learned
Romanian
poliție
/poˈlitsie/
fem.borrowed · German Polizei and Russian politsiya
Catalan
policia
/puliˈsiə/
fem.learned
English
police
/pəˈlis/
from Latin/French · French police
English → ItalianpolicepoliziaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
POLĪTĪAM‘civil administration (from Greek politeía)’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
A Greek word for running the polis, the city, narrowed to the people who keep order in it. Spanish uses one word for the force and for the officer.
English relatives: police, policy, politics
Learn it
In a sentence
- es¡Llama a la policía!
- frAppelle la police !
- itChiama la polizia!
- ptChama a polícia!
- roSună la poliție!
- caTruca a la policia!
- enCall the police!