policy
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English policie, from Old French policie, pollicie and police, from Late Latin politia (“citizenship; government”), classical Latin polītīa (in Cicero), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía, “citizenship; polis, (city) state; government”), from πολίτης (polítēs, “citizen”). Doublet of police, polis (“police”), and polity.
Inflected forms:
form: policies
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: policies
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: policying
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: policied
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: policied
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A principle of behaviour, conduct which an entity (government, organization, etc.) applies or seeks to follow, especially as formally expressed by an authoritative body.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: The Communist Party has a policy of returning power to the workers.
It's company policy that all mobile phones are forbidden in meetings.
Federal policy is constructed in complex ways, involving legislation, regulation, and lobbying.
gloss: A document describing such a policy.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Please print extra copies of this policy and post them where it will be easy for everyone to see.
gloss: Wise, advantageous, or politic conduct; prudence, formerly also with connotations of craftiness.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: [H]e [Richard I of England] was diſcovered in an inne in Auſtria, becauſe he diſguiſed his perſon not his expenſes; ſo that the very policie of an hoſteſſe, finding his purſe ſo farre above his clothes, did detect him: […]
These bitter accusations might have been suppressed, had I with greater policy concealed my struggles, and flattered you into the belief of my being impelled by unqualified, unalloyed inclination; […]
gloss: Specifically, political shrewdness or (formerly) cunning; statecraft.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
countable
uncountable
examples: I, 'policie? that's their profession,
And not simplicity, as they suggest.
Whether he believed himself a god, or only took on the attributes of divinity from motives of policy, is a question for the psychologist, since the historical evidence is indecisive.
gloss: The grounds of a large country house.
pos: noun
tags: Scotland
countable
in-plural
uncountable
examples: 1775, Samuel Johnson, A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland section on Aberbrothick
Now and then about a gentleman’s house stands a small plantation, which in Scotch is called a policy, but of these there are few, and those few all very young.
There was but one thing happened worth narrating; and that is the visit I had of Robin Oig, one of the sons of the notorious Rob Roy. He was sought upon all sides on a charge of carrying a young woman from Balfron and marrying her (as was alleged) by force; yet he stepped about Balquhidder like a gentleman in his own walled policy.
Next morning was so splendid that as he walked through the policies towards the mansion house despair itself was lulled.
The house and its policies (grounds) lie between what were once two or three separate hamlets.
gloss: The art of governance; political science.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: Liſt his diſcourse of Warre; and you ſhall heare / A fearefull Battaile rendred you in Muſique. / Turne him to any Cauſe of Pollicy, / The Gordian Knot of it he will vnlooſe, / Familiar as his Garter: […]
gloss: A state; a polity.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
gloss: A set political system; civil administration.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
gloss: A trick; a stratagem.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: Tis pollicie and ſtratageme muſt doo / That you affect, and ſo muſt you reſolue, / That vvhat you cannot as you vvould atchiue, / You muſt perforce accompliſh as you may: […]
gloss: Motive; object; inducement.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: I pray you (said he) honest men, what such right have you in me, as not to suffer me to doe with my self what I list? and what pollicie have you to bestow a benefite where it is counted an injury?
gloss: To regulate by laws; to reduce to order.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Policying of cities.
Derived words: antipolicy
discretionary fiscal policy
domestic policy
domestic policy council
endowment policy
exit policy
fiscal policy
foreign policy
honesty is the best policy
metapolicy
Mexico City policy
micropolicy
mispolicy
monetary policy
multipolicy
nonpolicy
one-child policy
open door policy
open-door policy
ostrich policy
policied
policy by press release
policy economy
policy holder
policyholding
policy institute
policy interest rate
policy keyboard
policyless
policymaker
policy maker
policy-making
policymaking
policy mix
policy pattern
policy rate
policyscape
policy shift
policy shop
policywise
policy wonk
privacy policy
public policy
same-origin policy
scorched-earth policy
scorched earth policy
social policy
subpolicy
time policy
title policy
umbrella policy
valued policy
walk policy
Translations: