Word of the Day: Public

pub-lic /  ˈpə-blik   adjective  

1. open for general view or consumption (public forum or meeting)

Actual human discourse happens within a number of contexts, not in some sort of unified public forum. Rowan Williams, 1950-  

2. of or relating to the general population (public funds)

Justice is the result of public opinion. Chinese Proverb  

3. of or relating to being in a position of service to the community (public servant)

…I know that fighting for what is just is not always popular but it is necessary; that is the real challenge that public servants face and it is where courage counts the most. Hilda Solis, 1957-  

4. under the control and use of the general population (public library)

We need not only public libraries to be funded properly and staffed properly, but our school libraries. Many children can’t get to a public library, and the only library they have is a school library. Katherine Paterson, 1932-  

5. prominent (public figure)

Becoming a public figure gave me a platform to help people. Simon Weston, 1961-  

6. known to most (public knowledge)

Science is public, not private, knowledge. Robert K. Merton, 1910-2003   noun  

1. the people that make up a community

To announce that there must be no criticism of the president…is morally treasonable to the American public. Theodore Roosevelt, 1858-1919  

2. a group of people with a certain common interest (the book-buying public)

Like most English majors – and like most of the book-buying public, still – I had scoffed at the idea of a novel translating to digital format. Steve Johnson, ?- chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-10-26-071024899-story.html  

3. a place that is in full view of others

It is at home, not in public, that one washes his dirty linen. French Proverb