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• polis
  polis

  noun

  an ancient Greek city-state.
• -polis
  -polis

  a combining form, meaning “city,” appearing in loanwords from Greek (metropolis ), and used in the formation of placenames (Annapolis ).

polis

¹ American  

[poh-lis] / ˈpoʊ lɪs /

noun

poleis plural

1. an ancient Greek city-state.

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-polis ² American  

1. a combining form, meaning “city,” appearing in loanwords from Greek (metropolis ), and used in the formation of placenames (Annapolis ).

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polis ¹ British  

/ ˈpɒlɪs /

noun

1. an ancient Greek city-state

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polis ² British  

/ ˈpolɪs /

noun

1. the police or a police officer

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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.”

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."

Related Words

• capital
• center
• downtown
• metropolis
• municipality
• place
• port