civitas

[siv-i-tas, kee-wi-tahs]

noun

plural

civitates 

1. the body of citizens who constitute a state, especially a city-state, commonwealth, or the like.

2. citizenship, especially as imparting shared responsibility, a common purpose, and sense of community.

Word History and Origins

Origin of civitas¹

From Latin cīvitās; literally, “commmunity of citizens, citizenship,” equivalent to cīvis “citizen, fellow citizen” + -tās -ty ² ( def. )