republic
UK[rɪˈpʌblɪk]US[rɪˈpʌblɪk]
n
A form of government in which the country is considered a public matter, not the private concern or property of the rulers, and where the head of state is typically an elected or nominated president, not a hereditary monarch.
n
A country that has such a system of government.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
public
re
again, back
public
the people
Etymology
The word "republic" entered English in the late 16th century from French république, which itself descended from Latin res publica. The Latin phrase literally means "the public affair" or "the public thing," composed of res ("thing, affair, matter") and publica ("public"). The core concept is the state understood as an entity belonging to the citizenry, a matter of common concern, as opposed to the private property (res privata) of a monarch. Over time, the phrase was lexicalized into a single word, with the first element res being reinterpreted as the prefix re-, and the meaning crystallized around a system of governance where supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives.
Analysis
Structure: re (again, back) + public (the people)
re: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "again, back, anew," indicating a return or reference to a state.
public: From Latin publicus ("of the people, public"), derived from poplicus, related to populus ("the people"). It functions as the core noun in the compound.
Examples
The United States is a federal republic composed of fifty states.
Ancient Rome transitioned from a monarchy to a republic.
The constitution established the nation as a democratic republic.