civil-service
UK[ˈsɪvl ˈsɜːvɪs]US[ˈsɪvl ˈsɜːrvɪs]
n
The administrative departments of a government, especially those in which employees are hired on the basis of merit rather than political appointment.
n
The body of government officials who are employed in civil occupations that are neither political nor judicial.
Morpheme Breakdown
civil
service
civil
relating to citizens
service
work performed
Etymology
The compound term 'civil-service' is a modern construction that fuses two ancient concepts of public duty. The element 'civil' traces back to the Latin civis, meaning citizen, evolving through civilis to denote matters pertaining to the citizenry and the state, distinct from military or ecclesiastical affairs. 'Service' originates from the Latin servitium, reflecting a state of servitude or obligation, which broadened over time to mean work done for another or for the community. Combined in the 18th century, the term logically came to signify the administrative machinery and its personnel who 'serve' the state and its 'civil' society, embodying the ideal of public administration as a duty to the citizenry, not to a monarch or political party.
Analysis
Structure: civil (relating to citizens) + service (work performed)
civil: From Latin civilis (relating to a citizen), from civis (citizen). Functions as an adjective modifying the type of service.
service: From Old French servise, from Latin servitium (slavery, condition of a slave), from servus (slave). Functions as a noun indicating work or duty performed.
Examples
He pursued a long career in the civil service, working for several different government agencies.
Reforms were introduced to make the civil service more efficient and less bureaucratic.
Entrance to the senior levels of the civil service is highly competitive.