public

1、public 和 popular（广受欢迎的、流行的）是一家，都来自拉丁 populus"人民"——public 侧重"和大家有关"：公众的、公共的、公开的。
2、同族 publish（出版，把内容摊向公众）、pub（英式小酒馆，public house 的口语短写）、people（民众）。in public 当众，public transport 公共交通，public opinion 舆论。
3、pu- 的 u 发短音 /ʌ/，和 cup、rub 里的 u 相同，读 PUB-lik；重音在前。拼写 pub-lic，尾巴 -lic 轻读 /lɪk/。

public 公众的，百姓的，公共的，公开的

来自拉丁语publicus,人民的，普通人的，来自populus,人，人民，词源同people,popular.并引申诸词义。

public

public: [15] Public means etymologically ‘of the people’. It comes via Old French public from Latin pūblicus, an alteration (apparently inspired by pūber ‘adult’, source of English puberty) of poplicus ‘of the people’, which was derived from populus ‘people’ (source of English people, popular, etc). Publicity [19] was borrowed from the French derivative publicité.
=> people, popular, pub, publish

public (adj.)

late 14c., "open to general observation," from Old French public (c. 1300) and directly from Latin publicus "of the people; of the state; done for the state," also "common, general, public; ordinary, vulgar," and as a noun, "a commonwealth; public property," altered (probably by influence of Latin pubes "adult population, adult") from Old Latin poplicus "pertaining to the people," from populus "people" (see people (n.)).

Early 15c. as "pertaining to the people." From late 15c. as "pertaining to public affairs;" meaning "open to all in the community" is from 1540s in English. An Old English adjective in this sense was folclic. Public relations first recorded 1913 (after an isolated use by Thomas Jefferson in 1807). Public office "position held by a public official" is from 1821; public service is from 1570s; public interest from 1670s. Public-spirited is from 1670s. Public enemy is attested from 1756. Public sector attested from 1949. Public funds (1713) are the funded debts of a government.

Public school is from 1570s, originally, in Britain, a grammar school endowed for the benefit of the public, but most have evolved into boarding-schools for the well-to-do. The main modern meaning in U.S., "school (usually free) provided at public expense and run by local authorities," is attested from 1640s. For public house, see pub.

public (n.)

"the community," 1610s, from public (adj.); meaning "people in general" is from 1660s. In public "in public view, publicly" is attested from c. 1500.

1. The public never had faith in his ability to handle the job.

公众从来不相信他有能力胜任这一职位。

2. There needs to be a properly informed public debate.

有必要让公众在充分知情的状况下展开辩论。

3. He was headmaster of a public school in the West of England.

他是英格兰西部一所公学的校长。

4. Its new title was meant to give the party greater public appeal.

新的党名意在使该党对公众具有更强的吸引力。

5. Someone cranked up the volume of the public address system.

有人调大了公共广播系统的音量。