republic
ri-PUHB-lik · noun
Origin
English republic comes from Middle French republique, from Latin rēspūblicā, a fusion of rēs ("thing") and pūblica ("public"). Rēs traces back through Proto-Italic *reis to Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁ís, while pūblica descends from pūblicus, Old Latin poplicus, and Old Latin poplus, rooted in Proto-Italic *poplos.
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Journey
The Latin phrase rēspūblicā literally meant "the public thing" — the shared affairs or matters of the people. It was shortened to rēpūblicā in Latin before passing into Middle French and then English as a single word.
Related words
The pūblicus half of the word is the same root that gives English "public," so republic is, at its core, a doubling-down on that idea of belonging to everyone.