civil
/ˈsɪv.əl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.93 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Having to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.
adj
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "She went into civil service because she wanted to help the people."
- "A third is wroth: ‘Is this an hour For private sorrow’s barren song, When more and more the people throng The chairs and thrones of civil power?’"
- "It was very civil of him to stop the argument."
- "They despise each other, but they are always civil in public."
- "Herein thou haſt done good ſeruice to thy country: VVere all inhumaine ſlaues ſo ſerued as he, England would be ciuill, and from all ſuch dealings free."
- "a civil case"
Etymology
From Middle English cyvyl, civil, borrowed from Old French civil, from Latin cīvīlis (“relating to a citizen”), from cīvis (“citizen”) ultimately from proto-Indo-European *ḱey-. Cognate with Old English hīwen (“household”), hīrǣden (“family”). More at hind; hird. (polite): Compare typologically urbane (<< Latin urbs), courteous (akin to court).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: cyvyl, civil, cīvīlis
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsɪv.əl/
- British English: /ˈsɪv.əl/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more civil (comparative)
civiler (comparative)
most civil (superlative)
civilest (superlative)
Civils (plural)