Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

body politic

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.79 in modern English

Syllables: body politic
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

1

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The collective body of a nation or state as politically organized.

noun

The collective body of a nation or state as exercising political functions.

noun

Archaic

Example Sentences

"In Bodies Politique the power of the Repreſentative is alwaies Limited: And that which preſcribeth the Limits thereof, is the Power Soveraign."
"In contrast to all other groups, the Jews were defined and their position determined by the body politic."
"While most historians of the period dissect the body politic, Whitelock doesn't waste time in the halls of Parliament. Instead, she hastens straight to the boudoir of the queen who chose celibacy as a means of wielding power."

Etymology

From body + politic (postpositive adjective), calque of Latin corpus polīticum.

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

bodies politic (plural) body politique (alternative, obsolete)

Synonyms

state nation country land commonwealth res publica

Questions

What does body politic mean?: The collective body of a nation or state as politically organized.
Where does body politic come from?: From body + politic (postpositive adjective), calque of Latin corpus polīticum.

How to pronounce body politic

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