polis

po·lis

noun \ˈpä-ləs\

plural po·leis \ˈpä-ˌlās\

Definition of POLIS

: a Greek city-state; broadly : a state or society especially when characterized by a sense of community

Origin of POLIS

Greek — more at police

First Known Use: 1884

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

Rhymes with POLIS

braless, solace, tallith, Wallis

polis

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In ancient Greece, an independent city and its surrounding region under a unified government. A polis might originate from the natural divisions of mountains and sea and from local tribal and cult divisions. Usually the town was walled and contained a citadel on raised ground (acropolis) and a marketplace (agora). Government was centred in the town; usually there was an assembly of citizens, a council, and magistrates. Ideally, all citizens participated in the government and in the cults, as well as in defense and economy. Women, minors, metics, and slaves were not citizens. Hellenism spread many of the institutions into the Middle East. See also Athens; city-state; Sparta; Thebes.