polis
noun
an ancient Greek city-state.
polis
1 American
[poh-lis]
/ ˈpoʊ lɪs /
noun
-
poleis
plural
-polis
2
American
polis
1
British
/ ˈpɒlɪs /
noun
polis
2
British
/ ˈpolɪs /
noun
Usage
What does -polis mean? The combining form -polis is used like a suffix meaning “city.” It is occasionally used in technical terms. The form -polis comes from Greek pólis, meaning “city.”
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of polis1
1890–95; < Greek pólis, plural (Ionic) póleis
Origin of -polis2
Combining form representing Greek pólis polis
Explanation
In ancient Greece, a polis was a completely independent, self-governing city. Each polis had an urban center with shopping areas, temples, and government buildings. A Greek polis was composed of territory that included a dense city, usually surrounded by protective walls, and the countryside around it. A temple near the center was often set on a high hill. The whole country was divided into these city-states; at the height of this era, there were about 1,000 poleis. Among the most famous were Athens and Sparta. The Greek polis means "citadel, city, or community," from a root meaning "citadel or hilltop."
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.
See Examples For:
Playwrights addressed the polis not by dramatizing current events but by recasting tales from the mythological and historic past to sharpen critical thinking on contemporary concerns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
They were woven into the fabric of a democratic polis.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2025
Now protected by their own walls, and in possession of all the civic tools needed to form their own polis, the Helots were liberated from Spartan tyranny at long last.
From Slate ● Jan. 16, 2024
The term polis, from which is derived the word political, refers to the city-state, the basic unit of government in ancient Greece.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022
These shouters scare me to the bone, they seem so much like the polis and Border Patrol—those bad ones who tried to stop me.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
Wars were temporarily suspended and all Greek poleis agreed to let athletes travel with safe passage to take part in the games, in part because the Olympics were dedicated to Zeus, the chief Greek god.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
Likewise, citizenship, which had been the basic unit of political currency in the ancient poleis, became instead a mark of elite membership that could be won in multiple cities at the same time.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
Cyrus swiftly defeated the Greek poleis, but instead of punishing the Greeks for opposing him he allowed them to keep their language, religion, and culture, simply insisting they give him loyal warriors and offer tribute.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
Thus, between 405 BCE — 338 BCE, the old order of the hoplites and republics atrophied, replaced by oligarchic councils or tyrants in the poleis and stronger, tax-supported states.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2019
The Hellenic municipalities were developments from the poleis, or city-states, which existed prior to the Roman conquest in Greece and the Hellenized areas of Asia and Africa.
From A History of Rome to 565 A. D. by Arthur Edward Romilly Boak
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.
