policyとは

語源 1

From Middle French policie, from Late Latin politia (“citizenship; government”), classical Latin polītīa (in Cicero), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía, “citizenship; polis, (city) state; government”), from πολίτης (polítēs, “citizen”). Compare police.

名詞

policy (countable かつ uncountable, 複数形 policies)

1. (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 […]

2. (obsolete) A state; a polity. [14th–16th c.]
3. (obsolete) A set political system; civil administration. [15th–19th c.]
4. (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.

5. 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.

6. 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 […]

   • Fuller

     The very policy of a hostess, finding his purse so far above his clothes, did detect him.

7. (now まれに) 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.

8. (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.

9. (obsolete) Motive; object; inducement.
   • Sir Philip Sidney

     What policy have you to bestow a benefit where it is counted an injury?

派生語

派生した語

• → Burmese: ပေါ်လစီ (paula.ci)

動詞

policy (三人称単数 現在形 policies, 現在分詞 policying, 過去形および過去分詞形 policied)

1. (transitive) To regulate by laws; to reduce to order.
   • Francis Bacon

     Policying of cities.

語源 2

From Middle French police, from Italian polizza, from Medieval Latin apodissa (“receipt for money”), from Ancient Greek ἀπόδειξις (apódeixis, “proof, declaration”)

名詞

policy (複数形 policies)

1. (law)
   1. A contract of insurance.
   2. A document containing or certifying this contract.
      • Your insurance policy covers fire and theft only.
2. (obsolete) An illegal daily lottery in late nineteenth and early twentieth century USA on numbers drawn from a lottery wheel (no 複数形)
3. A number pool lottery

同意語

• (number pool) policy racket

派生語

• policyholder

Further reading

• policy on Wikipedia.