Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A political order whose head of state is not a monarch and in modern times is usually a president.
  • noun A nation that has such a political order.
  • noun A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.
  • noun A nation that has such a political order.
  • noun A specific republican government of a nation.
  • noun An autonomous or partially autonomous political and territorial unit belonging to a sovereign federation.
  • noun A group of people working as equals in the same sphere or field.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The commonwealth; the state.
  • noun A commonwealth; a government in which the executive power is vested in a person or persons chosen directly or indirectly by the body of citizens entitled to vote.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete Common weal.
  • noun A state in which the sovereign power resides in the whole body of the people, and is exercised by representatives elected by them; a commonwealth. Cf. Democracy, 2.
  • noun The collective body of literary or learned men.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A state where sovereignty rests with the people or their representatives, rather than with a monarch or emperor; a country with no monarchy.
  • noun archaic A state, which may or may not be a monarchy, in which the executive and legislative branches of government are separate.
  • noun One of the subdivisions constituting Russia. See oblast.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a form of government whose head of state is not a monarch
  • noun a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French république, from Old French, from Latin rēspūblica : rēs, thing; see rē- in Indo-European roots + pūblica, feminine of pūblicus, of the people; see public.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French république ("republic"), derived from Latin rēs publica ("republic"), from rēs ("thing") + pūblica ("public"); hence literally “the public thing”.

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Examples

  • Star Wars the old republic * not knight of the old republic* little on WoW and empire total war my pc specs is hp pavilion p6110y dual core processor 2. 6ghz

    Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions 2010

  • Now, I know why Beck uses the term republic. it makes tea bagger proud

    msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines 2011

  • Those fighting for the term republic have a distinctly different view of the role of government than those fighting for democracy.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Whole Lot of Error Going On 2010

  • Across the road, a white banner with the word republic fluttered from the front fence of an equally small dwelling.

    Let The Dead Lie Malla Nunn 2010

  • Across the road, a white banner with the word republic fluttered from the front fence of an equally small dwelling.

    Let The Dead Lie Malla Nunn 2010

  • The word republic comes from the Latin rêspْblica: rês, “thing” (or more broadly “the will”) + pْblica, the feminine of pْblicus, meaning “of the people.”

    Democracy and Republic 2007

  • This empire, he was obliged to say, for the term republic had gone out of fashion.

    A biography of John Randolph, of Roanoke 1844

  • How far the term republic was applicable to the Spartan form of government I will not pretend to say, but when Lycurgus was called upon to re-construct its legislation, his first act was to make the necessary third power, and he appointed a senate.

    Diary in America, Series Two Frederick Marryat 1820

  • Indeed, it must be acknowledged, that the term republic is of very vague application in every language.

    Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 4 Thomas Jefferson 1784

  • Indeed, it must be acknowledged, that the term republic is of very vague application in every language.

    Letters 1760

Comments

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  • A republic is as strong as its people allow it to be, so do we not have a republic today, for I haven't said anyone can force me.

    March 20, 2011