public-spiritedadj.

1646 J. Cooke Vindic. Professors Law To Rdr. sig. a3 Every honest Publike-spirited man, will be hereby incouraged to looke more narrowly into the..hinderances to publike Justice.

1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 157 There is one publick spirited Man lately come into that Countrey.

1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 442. ⁋3 Good or Ill-natur'd, Publick-spirited or Selfish.

1783 E. Burke 11th Rep. Select Comm. Justice in Bengal, Bahar & Orissa in Parl. Papers VI. 577 The act..is not only disinterested, but generous, and public-spirited.

1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xxv. 255 Mr. Pickwick and his friends were conducted into the hall, from whence..they were ushered into the worshipful presence of that public-spirited officer.

1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 358 A new nobility of wealth, who..were not more farsighted or more public-spirited than their predecessors.

1910 J. Addams Twenty Years at Hull-House xiv. 327 Through the efforts of public-spirited citizens a medical clinic and a Psychopathic Institute have become associated with the Juvenile Court of Chicago.

1934 M. Josephson Robber Barons v. 118 The railroad systems, supposedly public-spirited and impartial, were to open all their knowledge of rival private business to the pool.

1999 Daily Mail (Nexis) 21 July 57 Smokers are the most public-spirited of all the public, contributing vast sums to maintain the NHS..and..dying early.

1767 Hist. Mem. William-Augustus, Duke of Cumberland xii. 523 When the nation became distressed by a variety of ministers and measures which had given great disgust, he very humanely and public-spiritedly..undertook the very arduous and disagreeable task of forming an administration.

1860 J. S. Mill Consider. Represent. Govt. (1865) 72/1 The ‘local’ or ‘middle class’ examination for the degree of Associate, so laudably and public-spiritedly established by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

1994 Independent (Nexis) 14 June 23 A rich Swiss industrialist..who spent much of his life public-spiritedly forming an art collection to bequeath to his native town.

1652 W. Blith Eng. Improver Improved 235 His ingenuity is to be commended highly in many things, and for his publique-spiritedness countenanced in a work that is so likely to tend to the publique good.

1724 R. Fiddes Gen. Treat. Morality Pref. p. lxxv What we term public spiritedness..is nothing more than a refined and well-disguised hypocrisy.

1883 Kendal Mercury & Times 23 Nov. 5/1 The promptings of a noble public-spiritedness.

1995 Economist 18 Mar. 20/1 Communitarians are in favour of many good things: courtesy, public-spiritedness, charity, voluntary work for worthwhile causes, [etc.].