Etymology: As adjective < Middle French politique, pollitique (French politique ) political, relating to the state or public affairs, of or relating to (especially benevolent and constitutional) government, (of an action or thing) judicious, expedient, sensible, useful, (of a person) prudent, sagacious (in early use usually with reference to government) (all second half of the 14th cent. or earlier) and its etymon classical Latin polīticus concerned with civil government, political, in post-classical Latin also judicious, prudent (c1345, c1470 in a British source) < ancient Greek πολιτικός belonging to the state or its administration, political, relating to public life, of or relating to citizens, civic, civil < πολίτης citizen ( < πόλις city, state (see polis n.²) + -της , suffix forming nouns) + -ικός -ic suffix. Compare Catalan polític (14th cent.), Spanish político (c1250 or earlier), Portuguese politico (15th cent. as †politica (masculine), †polytico ), Italian politico (14th cent.). Compare also later political adj. (which is now the usual word in most senses). As noun in sense B. 1 < Middle French politique, pollitique, polliticque (French politique ) particular way of governing a state (late 14th cent. or earlier; earlier in sense ‘science of government’ (c1268 in Old French)) < post-classical Latin politice statecraft (early 5th cent. in Augustine) < ancient Greek ἡ πολιτικὴ (also ἡ πολιτικὴ ἐπιστήμη ) the science of politics, use as noun of feminine of πολιτικός , adjective (see above). Compare Spanish política (late 14th cent. or earlier in this sense; earlier in plural las políticas denoting Aristotle's treatise on statecraft (1293 or earlier)), Portuguese política (15th cent.), Italian politica (13th cent.), all in sense ‘politics’, also ‘policy’. Compare earlier policy n.¹, police n., politics n., later political n., politique n.With politic body at sense A. 1c compare body politic n. 1. Sense A. 2c is apparently not recorded in dictionaries of French. Sense A. 3 apparently arose by confusion with polite adj. (compare sense 2a at that entry) or its etymon classical Latin polītus . With sense B. 2b compare classical Latin polīticus a statesman, in post-classical Latin also a layman, man of the world (c1160 in a British source), ancient Greek πολιτικός a statesman, politician, Middle French, French politique (c1370; apparently rare before early 17th cent.), Spanish político (1428 or earlier), all in sense ‘statesman, politician’, Italian politico (1585 in sense ‘politician’; earlier in sense ‘sly, crafty person’ (1540)), uses as noun of the corresponding adjectives. Sense B. 2a, which is apparently unparalleled in Latin, French, or the other Romance languages, probably arose as a spec. use of the adjective. With sense B. 3 compare politics n., and the Latin and Greek parallels cited at that entry; French politique is apparently first attested later in the senses ‘political concept or doctrine’ (1640) and ‘way of doing things (in private life)’ (mid 17th cent.), although in the related sense ‘particular way of governing a state’ it is already attested in Middle French (see above). In politic animal at sense A. 1d after ancient Greek πολιτικὸν ζῷον: see political animal n. at political adj. and n. Compounds 2.

Etymology: < politic adj., partly (especially in sense 2) after politicking n. Compare French politiquer to engage in political activity (1754 or earlier in this sense, rare; usually in sense ‘to talk about politics’ (1674 or earlier in this sense)). Compare politicker n., and also earlier politicize v. 1, politize v. 2.