Skip to content

"politics" in seven languages

Meaningpolitics

Spanish

política

/poˈlitika/

fem.learned

Also 'policy': la política exterior.

French

politique

/pɔlitik/

fem.learned

Also 'policy': la politique étrangère.

Italian

politica

/poˈlitika/

fem.learned

Also 'policy': la politica estera.

Portuguese

política

/poˈlitʃikɐ/

fem.learned

Romanian

politică

/poˈlitikə/

fem.learned

Catalan

política

/puˈlitikə/

fem.learned

English

politics

/ˈpɑlətɪks/

from Latin/French · Greek politiká, via Latin and French

English → ItalianpoliticspoliticaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

POLITICUM‘of citizens, of the state (Greek politikós)’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Greek pólis 'city-state' gave politikós 'of citizens'. The sisters use one feminine noun for both 'politics' and 'policy', a split English makes and they don't.

English relatives: political, policy, police, metropolis

Learn it

Practice the Ideas deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esLleva veinte años en política.
  • frElle fait de la politique depuis vingt ans.
  • itFa politica da vent'anni.
  • ptEla está na política há vinte anos.
  • roFace politică de douăzeci de ani.
  • caFa vint anys que es dedica a la política.
  • enShe has been in politics for twenty years.

More in Ideas

All Ideas words