In the old west we had sheriffs and marshals. When did the word "police" begin being used and where did the word originate?

lanfranco

"Police" has the same root as the word "policy" -- from Greek "polis" and Latin "politia," (both meaning a "civil administration"), via a Middle French word that came to mean "administration of public order" by the 18th century. However, the word first shows up in English in the 16th century (more in the sense of "civil administration") according to this site, and my OED confirms it. You'll have to scroll down a bit, but you might find that interesting: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=p&p=22 Mar 13 06, 4:58 PM

Dmac_attack

Thank you very much. I appreciate the reference and the effort. I did not know the site existed although I what I thought was a yeoman's effort at trying to find something similar. Thank you again. Regards. Mar 14 06, 4:13 PM

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