Wiktionary:Word of the day/2024/July 12

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public n

(countable, uncountable) Chiefly preceded by the: members of the community or the people in general, regardless of membership of any particular group. (countable) Preceded by a possessive determiner such as my, your, or their: a group of people who support a particular person, especially a performer, a writer, etc.; an audience, a following. (informal) Short for public house (“an inn, a pub”); also (dated), in full public bar: the more basic bar in a public house, as contrasted with the lounge bar or saloon bar which has more comfortable seats, personalized service, etc. (often public relations) Often preceded by the and a qualifying word: a particular demographic or group of people, or segment of the population, sharing some common characteristic. (sociology) A group of people sharing some common cultural, political, or social interest, but not necessarily having any interactions with each other. (obsolete) Chiefly preceded by the: a collective body of a politically organized nation or state; a body politic, a nation, a state; also, the interest or well-being of such a collective body; the common good. (US, university slang) At Harvard University: a penalty imposed on a student involving a grade reduction which is communicated to the student's parents or guardian. (uncountable) Chiefly in in public: the presence of spectators or people generally; the open. [...] Yesterday was World Population Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to raise awareness of global population issues such as the importance of family planning, gender equality, human rights, maternal health, and poverty. Approximately on 11 July 1987, the world’s population reached five billion people.

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