publicness

[ puhb-lik-nis ]

noun

1. the quality or state of being public or being owned by the public.

Word History and Origins

Origin of publicness¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; public + -ness

Example Sentences

And flitting uniquely through it all was this man whose privacy was so public, whose publicness was so unutterably private.

From Project Gutenberg

It is not the mere publicness of the teaching, which must tell us what is unlawful for a layman.

From Project Gutenberg

Were not his objections as to the publicness of the place, I asked him, as strong now as before?

From Project Gutenberg

There was a formality and publicness about it that kind of weakened my nerve.

From Project Gutenberg