polity

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pol·i·ty

(pŏl′ĭ-tē)

n. pl. pol·i·ties

1. The form of government of a nation, state, church, or organization.

2. An organized society, such as a nation, having a specific form of government: "His alien philosophy found no roots in the American polity" (New York Times).

[Obsolete French politie, from Old French, from Late Latin polītīa, the Roman government; see police.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

polity

(ˈpɒlɪtɪ)

n, pl -ties

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a form of government or organization of a state, church, society, etc; constitution

2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a politically organized society, state, city, etc

3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the management of public or civil affairs

4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) political organization

[C16: from Latin polītīa, from Greek politeia citizenship, civil administration, from politēs citizen, from polis city]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pol•i•ty

(ˈpɒl ɪ ti)

n., pl. -ties.

1. a particular form or system of government: civil polity; ecclesiastical polity.

2. a state or other organized community or body.

3. the condition of being constituted as a state or other organized community or body.

4. government or administrative regulation.

[1530–40; < Latin polītīa < Greek polīteía citizenship, government =polite-, variant s. of politēs citizen (see polis, -ite¹) + -ia -ia]

polity

Any form of government or organized society.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	polity - the form of government of a social organization civil order order - established customary state (especially of society); "order ruled in the streets"; "law and order"
	2.	polity - a politically organized unit organization, organisation - a group of people who work together authorities, government, regime - the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit; "the government reduced taxes"; "the matter was referred to higher authorities"
	3.	polity - shrewd or crafty management of public affairs; "we was innocent of stratagems and polity" administration, disposal - a method of tending to or managing the affairs of a some group of people (especially the group's business affairs)

polity

noun

An organized geopolitical unit:

body politic, country, land, nation, state.

Translations

polity

[ˈpɒlɪtɪ] N (= form of government) → gobierno m, forma f de gobierno; (= politically organized state) → estado m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

polity

n (= form of government) → politische Ordnung, Staats- or Regierungsform f; (= politically organized society) → Staat (→ swesen nt) m, → Gemeinwesen nt; (= management of public affairs) → Staatsverwaltung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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References in classic literature ?

Since then we propose to inquire what civil society is of all others best for those who have it in their power to live entirely as they wish, it is necessary to examine into the polity of those states which are allowed to be well governed; and if there should be any others which some persons have described, and which appear properly regulated, to note what is right and useful in them; and when we point out wherein they have failed, let not this be imputed to an affectation of wisdom, for it is because there are great defects in all those which are already 'established, that I have been induced to undertake this work.

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Thus it will be in nature; for within a confined area, with some place in its polity not so perfectly occupied as might be, natural selection will always tend to preserve all the individuals varying in the right direction, though in different degrees, so as better to fill up the unoccupied place.

When converted by subsidence into large separate islands, there will still exist many individuals of the same species on each island: intercrossing on the confines of the range of each species will thus be checked: after physical changes of any kind, immigration will be prevented, so that new places in the polity of each island will have to be filled up by modifications of the old inhabitants; and time will be allowed for the varieties in each to become well modified and perfected.

Its action depends on there being places in the polity of nature, which can be better occupied by some of the inhabitants of the country undergoing modification of some kind.

That the number of specific forms has not indefinitely increased, geology shows us plainly; and indeed we can see reason why they should not have thus increased, for the number of places in the polity of nature is not indefinitely great,--not that we have any means of knowing that any one region has as yet got its maximum of species.

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In the polity of winds, as amongst the tribes of the earth, the real struggle lies between East and West.

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The reader will here find no regions cursed with irremediable barrenness, or blessed with spontaneous fecundity, no perpetual gloom or unceasing sunshine; nor are the nations here described either devoid of all sense of humanity, or consummate in all private and social virtues; here are no Hottentots without religion, polity, or articulate language, no Chinese perfectly polite, and completely skilled in all sciences: he will discover, what will always be discovered by a diligent and impartial inquirer, that wherever human nature is to be found there is a mixture of vice and virtue, a contest of passion and reason, and that the Creator doth not appear partial in his distributions, but has balanced in most countries their particular inconveniences by particular favours.

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The spirit of clanship which was, at an early day, introduced into that kingdom, uniting the nobles and their dependants by ties equivalent to those of kindred, rendered the aristocracy a constant overmatch for the power of the monarch, till the incorporation with England subdued its fierce and ungovernable spirit, and reduced it within those rules of subordination which a more rational and more energetic system of civil polity had previously established in the latter kingdom.

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The scheme of representation, as a substitute for a meeting of the citizens in person, being at most but very imperfectly known to ancient polity, it is in more modern times only that we are to expect instructive examples.

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Now, whereas the females of this country, especially those of the lower order, do associate themselves much more than those of other nations, our polity would be highly deficient, if they had not some place set apart likewise for the indulgence of their curiosity, seeing they are in this no way inferior to the other half of the species.

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But, in a government so peculiarly republican as the Indian polity, it was not at all times an easy task to restrain its members within the rules of the nation.

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And now you would have the argument show that this community is consistent with the rest of our polity, and also that nothing can be better-- would you not?