policy
Pronunciation Noun
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003
Pronunciation Noun
policy
- (obsolete) The art of governance; political science. [14th–18th c.]
- a. 1616, William Shakespeare, Henry V, I.1:
- 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 […]
- a. 1616, William Shakespeare, Henry V, I.1:
- (obsolete) A state; a polity. [14th–16th c.]
- (obsolete) A set political system; civil administration. [15th–19th c.]
- (obsolete) A trick; a stratagem. [15th–19th c.]
- a. 1594, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus:
- 'Tis pollicie, and stratageme must doe / That you affect, and so must you resolue, / That what you cannot as you would atcheiue, / You must perforce accomplish as you may.
- a. 1594, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus:
- A principle of behaviour, conduct etc. thought to be desirable or necessary, especially as formally expressed by a government or other authoritative body. [from 15th c.]
- The Communist Party has a policy of returning power to the workers.
- Wise or advantageous conduct; prudence, formerly also with connotations of craftiness. [from 15th c.]
- 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Modern Library Edition (1995), page 140:
- These bitter accusations might have been suppressed, had I with greater policy concealed my struggles, and flattered you […]
- The very policy of a hostess, finding his purse so far above his clothes, did detect him.
- 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Modern Library Edition (1995), page 140:
- (now, rare) Specifically, political shrewdness or (formerly) cunning; statecraft. [from 15th c.]
- 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.
- 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.25:
- (Scotland, now, chiefly, in the plural) The grounds of a large country house. [from 18th c.]
- 1955, Robin Jenkins, The Cone-Gatherers, Canongate 2012, page 36:
- Next morning was so splendid that as he walked through the policies towards the mansion house despair itself was lulled.
- 1955, Robin Jenkins, The Cone-Gatherers, Canongate 2012, page 36:
- (obsolete) Motive; object; inducement.
- What policy have you to bestow a benefit where it is counted an injury?
- French: politique
- German: Politik, Handlungsgrundsatz, Vorgehensweise, Verfahrensweise, Richtlinie
- Italian: politica
- Portuguese: política
- Russian: поли́тика
- Spanish: política
- German: Geschicklichkeit, Umsicht, Vorsicht
- Portuguese: política
- Russian: поли́тика
policy (policies, present participle policying; past and past participle policied)
- (transitive) To regulate by laws; to reduce to order.
- 1605, Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning
- Policying of cities.''
- 1605, Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning
policy (plural policies)
- (law)
- (obsolete) An illegal daily lottery in late nineteenth and early twentieth century USA on numbers drawn from a lottery wheel (no plural)
- A number pool lottery
- (number pool) policy racket
- French: police
- German: Versicherungspolice, Police
- Italian: polizza
- Portuguese: apólice
- Russian: по́лис
- Spanish: póliza
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003