civitas
Americannoun
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the body of citizens who constitute a state, especially a city-state, commonwealth, or the like.
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citizenship, especially as imparting shared responsibility, a common purpose, and sense of community.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of civitas
From Latin cīvitās; literally, “commmunity of citizens, citizenship,” equivalent to cīvis “citizen, fellow citizen” + -tās -ty 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To gain civitas at birth, a person needed to be the child of two citizens.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
In addition to maintaining their frontier with an army, Romans carried on a perpetual debate about citizenship, or civitas, and whether to extend its benefits to different groups.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
Bell's book is the year's most promising start on the long road back to civitas.
From Time Magazine Archive
Harvey, a self-educated college dropout, talks a lot about William James, agora, public squares and preaching civitas.
From Time Magazine Archive
His grandfather had received the Roman civitas from Pompey; his father was one of Caesar’s officers, and is possibly to be identified with the Cn.
From The Student's Companion to Latin Authors by Middleton, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
