ˈpʌblɪk adj. & n. --adj. 1 of or
concerning the people as a
whole (a public
holiday; the public interest). 2
open to or shared by
all the people (public baths; public
library; public meeting). 3
done or existing
openly (made
his views public; a public protest). 4 a (of a service, funds, etc.)
provided by or concerning
local or
central government (public
money; public records; public expenditure). b (of a person) in government (had a
distinguished public career). 5 well-known;
famous (a public institution). 6
Brit.
of,
for, or
acting for, a
university (public examination). --n. 1 (as
sing. or pl.) the
community in
general, or members of the community. 2 a
section of the community having a
particular interest or in
some special connection (the
reading public; my public demands my loyalty). 3 Brit. colloq. a = public bar. b = public
house. øgo public
become a public
company. in public openly, publicly. in the public
domain belonging to the public as a whole,
esp.
not subject to
copyright. in the public
eye famous or
notorious. public
act an act of
legislation affecting the public as a whole. public-address
system loudspeakers, microphones, amplifiers,
etc., used in addressing
large audiences. public bar Brit. the
least expensive bar in a public house. public bill a bill of legislation affecting the public as a whole. public company Brit. a company
that sells shares to all buyers on the open
market. public
enemy a notorious wanted
criminal. public
figure a famous
person. public
health the
provision of
adequate sanitation,
drainage, etc. by government. public house 1 Brit. an
inn providing alcoholic drinks for
consumption on the premises. 2 an inn. public
law 1 the law of relations
between individuals
and the
State. 2 = public act. public lending
right the right of authors to
payment when their books etc. are
lent by public libraries. public
libel a published libel. public
nuisance 1 an
illegal act
against the public
generally. 2 colloq. an
obnoxious person. public
opinion views, esp.
moral,
prevalent among the general public. public ownership the State ownership of the
means of
production,
distribution, and
exchange. public
prosecutor a law
officer conducting criminal proceedings on
behalf of the State or in the public interest. Public
Record Office an
institution keeping official archives, esp.
birth,
marriage, and
death certificates, for public inspection. public relations the
professional maintenance of a
favourable public
image, esp. by a company, famous person, etc. public relations officer a person employed by a company etc. to
promote a favourable public image. public school 1 Brit. a
private fee-paying
secondary school, esp. for boarders. 2
US, Austral., &
Sc. etc.
any non-fee-paying school. public
sector that
part of an
economy,
industry, etc., that is controlled by the State. public
servant a State official. public
spirit a willingness to
engage in community
action. public-spirited having a public spirit. public-spiritedly in a public-spirited
manner. public-spiritedness the
quality of
being public-spirited. public
transport buses, trains, etc., charging set fares and
running on fixed routes, esp. when State-owned. public
utility an
organization supplying
water,
gas, etc. to the community. public works
building operations etc. done by or for the State on behalf of the community. public
wrong an
offence against
society as a whole. øøpublicly adv. [ME f. OF public or L publicus f. pubes adult]