polity

American  

[pol-i-tee] / ˈpɒl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

polities

1. a particular form or system of government.

   civil polity; ecclesiastical polity.

2. the condition of being constituted as a state or other organized community or body.

   The polity of ancient Athens became a standard for later governments.

3. government or administrative regulation.

   The colonists demanded independence in matters of internal polity.

4. a state or other organized community or body.

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polity British  

/ ˈpɒlɪtɪ /

noun

1. a form of government or organization of a state, church, society, etc; constitution

2. a politically organized society, state, city, etc

3. the management of public or civil affairs

4. political organization

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Etymology

Origin of polity

1530–40; < Latin polītīa < Greek polīteía citizenship, government, form of government, commonwealth, equivalent to polī́te-, variant stem of polī́tēs citizen ( polis, -ite ¹ ) + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

He predicts that when Mr. Xi dies, we can expect “another swing of the political pendulum toward a more moderate polity, just as that occurring following Mao’s demise.”

From The Wall Street Journal

With the chorus representing the voice of the polity eliminated, in essence Mr. Icke has transformed the play into a more intimate if no less fraught family tragedy.

From The Wall Street Journal

The American polity long ago decided to take that worry less seriously than the founders did.

From The Wall Street Journal

She re-creates the spectacle of the 1787 convention in Philadelphia, the ceaseless harangues between North and South, bringing to life these visionaries — white, affluent men, many drama queens — as they laid out an unprecedented polity.

From Los Angeles Times

"I think taking into account the circumstances and the compulsions of a coalition polity, I have done as best as I could do under the circumstances."

From BBC