policy

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɒləsi/, /ˈpɒlɪsi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑləsi/

• Audio (US)

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Etymology 1

From Middle French policie, from Late Latin politia (“citizenship; government”), classical Latin polītīa (in Cicero), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía, “citizenship; polis, (city) state; government”), from πολίτης (polítēs, “citizen”). Compare police and polity.

Noun

policy (countable and uncountable, plural policies)

1. A principle of behaviour, conduct etc. thought to be desirable or necessary, especially as formally expressed by a government or other authoritative body.

   The Communist Party has a policy of returning power to the workers.

   It's company policy that all mobile phones are forbidden in meetings.

2. Wise or advantageous conduct; prudence, formerly also with connotations of craftiness.
   • 1639, Thomas Fuller, “King Richard Taken Prisoner in Austria; Sold and Sent to the Emperour; Dearly Ransomed, Returneth Home”, in The Historie of the Holy Warre, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Thomas Buck, one of the printers to the Universitie of Cambridge , →OCLC, book III, page 130:

     [H]e [Richard I of England] was diſcovered in an inne in Auſtria, becauſe he diſguiſed his perſon not his expenſes; ſo that the very policie of an hoſteſſe, finding his purſe ſo farre above his clothes, did detect him: […]

   • 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter XI, in Pride and Prejudice: , volume II, London: for T Egerton, , →OCLC, page 131:

     These bitter accusations might have been suppressed, had I with greater policy concealed my struggles, and flattered you into the belief of my being impelled by unqualified, unalloyed inclination; […]

3. (now rare) Specifically, political shrewdness or (formerly) cunning; statecraft.
   • c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. , London: I B for Nicholas Vavasour, , published 1633, →OCLC, Act I:

     I, 'policie? that's their profession,
     And not simplicity, as they suggest.

   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.25:

     Whether he believed himself a god, or only took on the attributes of divinity from motives of policy, is a question for the psychologist, since the historical evidence is indecisive.

4. (Scotland, now chiefly in the plural) The grounds of a large country house.
   • 1775, Samuel Johnson, A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland section on Aberbrothick

     Now and then about a gentleman’s house stands a small plantation, which in Scotch is called a policy, but of these there are few, and those few all very young.

   • 1886 May 1 – July 31, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped, being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: , London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 1886, →OCLC:

     There was but one thing happened worth narrating; and that is the visit I had of Robin Oig, one of the sons of the notorious Rob Roy. He was sought upon all sides on a charge of carrying a young woman from Balfron and marrying her (as was alleged) by force; yet he stepped about Balquhidder like a gentleman in his own walled policy.

   • 1955, Robin Jenkins, The Cone-Gatherers, Canongate, published 2012, page 36:

     Next morning was so splendid that as he walked through the policies towards the mansion house despair itself was lulled.

5. (obsolete) The art of governance; political science.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , pages 69–70:

     Liſt his diſcourse of Warre; and you ſhall heare / A fearefull Battaile rendred you in Muſique. / Turne him to any Cauſe of Pollicy, / The Gordian Knot of it he will vnlooſe, / Familiar as his Garter: […]

6. (obsolete) A state; a polity.
7. (obsolete) A set political system; civil administration.
8. (obsolete) A trick; a stratagem.
   • c. 1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus:  (First Quarto), London: Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas Millington, , published 1594, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     Tis pollicie and ſtratageme must doo / That you affect, and ſo muſt you reſolue, / That what you cannot as you would atchiue, / You muſt perforce accompliſh as you may: […]

9. (obsolete) Motive; object; inducement.
   • c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “ I”, in Fulke Greville, Matthew Gwinne, and John Florio, editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC; republished in Albert Feuillerat, editor, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia (Cambridge English Classics: The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney; I), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1912, →OCLC, page 9:

     I pray you (said he) honest men, what such right have you in me, as not to suffer me to doe with my self what I list? and what pollicie have you to bestow a benefite where it is counted an injury?

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Burmese: ပေါ်လစီ (paula.ci)

Translations

Verb

policy (third-person singular simple present policies, present participle policying, simple past and past participle policied)

1. (transitive) To regulate by laws; to reduce to order.
   • 1605, Francis Bacon, “(please specify |book=1 or 2)”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for Henrie Tomes, , →OCLC:

     Policying of cities.

Etymology 2

From Middle French police, from Italian polizza, from Medieval Latin apodissa (“receipt for money”), from Ancient Greek ἀπόδειξις (apódeixis, “proof, declaration”).

Noun

policy (plural policies)

1. (law)
   1. A contract of insurance.
   2. A document containing or certifying this contract.

      Your insurance policy covers fire and theft only.

2. (obsolete) An illegal daily lottery in late nineteenth and early twentieth century USA on numbers drawn from a lottery wheel (no plural)
3. A number pool lottery

Synonyms

• (number pool) policy racket

Derived terms

• policyholder

Translations

Further reading

• policy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “policy”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “policy”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• policy in Britannica Dictionary
• policy in Macmillan Collocations Dictionary
• policy in Sentence collocations by Cambridge Dictionary
• policy in Ozdic collocation dictionary
• policy in WordReference English Collocations