plc
UK[ˌpiː el ˈsiː]US[ˌpiː el ˈsiː]
n
A type of company in the UK and some other countries whose shares can be bought by the public and traded on a stock exchange.
Etymology
The term 'plc' is an initialism, not a word formed from classical morphemes. It stands for 'Public Limited Company'. The abbreviation follows a common pattern in British corporate law for distinguishing companies whose shares are offered to the general public and have limited liability. The full form 'Public Limited Company' itself is a descriptive legal term, where 'public' indicates public ownership, 'limited' refers to the shareholders' limited financial liability, and 'company' denotes a commercial association. The initialism 'plc' functions as a lexicalized corporate designation, similar to 'Inc.' in the United States.
Analysis
N/A
Examples
The multinational corporation is registered as a plc on the London Stock Exchange.
Shareholders voted on the merger at the plc's annual general meeting.
To become a plc, a private company must meet specific regulatory requirements.