"-polis" meaning in English

See -polis in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Suffix

Forms: -poleis [plural], -polises [plural]
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- Proto-Hellenic *ptólis Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis)bor. Latin -polislbor. English -polis Learned borrowing from Latin -polis, from Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis, “city”). Etymology templates: {{etymon|en|:lbor|la:-polis<id:city suffix>|id=city suffix|pos=suffix|tree=1}} Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- Proto-Hellenic *ptólis Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis)bor. Latin -polislbor. English -polis [Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from", "terms" : [ { "id" : "city suffix", "children" : [ { "keyword_abbrev" : "bor.", "keyword_label" : "Borrowed from", "terms" : [ { "id" : "city", "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "id" : "city", "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "id" : "city", "children" : [ ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "term" : "*tpelH-", "lang" : "ine-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Hellenic", "term" : "*ptólis", "lang" : "grk-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Ancient Greek", "term" : "πόλις", "lang" : "grc" } ], "keyword" : "bor" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Latin", "term" : "-polis", "lang" : "la" } ], "keyword" : "lbor" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "-polis", "lang" : "en" }" data-id="city suffix" data-lang="en" data-title="-polis" id="English:_city_suffix">, {{lbor|en|la|-polis}} Learned borrowing from Latin -polis, {{der|en|grc|πόλις|t=city}} Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis, “city”) Head templates: {{en-prop}} -polis (proper noun-forming suffix), {{en-noun|-poleis|+}} -polis (noun-forming suffix, plural -poleis or -polises)
  1. Forms names of cities or kinds of cities. Tags: morpheme

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":lbor",
        "3": "la:-polis<id:city suffix>",
        "id": "city suffix",
        "pos": "suffix",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *tpelH-\nProto-Hellenic *ptólis\nAncient Greek πόλις (pólis)bor.\nLatin -polislbor.\nEnglish -polis\n[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"city suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"city\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"city\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"city\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*tpelH-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*ptólis\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"πόλις\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-polis\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-polis\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"city suffix\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-polis\" id=\"English:_city_suffix\">",
      "name": "etymon"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-polis"
      },
      "expansion": "Learned borrowing from Latin -polis",
      "name": "lbor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "πόλις",
        "t": "city"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis, “city”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *tpelH-\nProto-Hellenic *ptólis\nAncient Greek πόλις (pólis)bor.\nLatin -polislbor.\nEnglish -polis\nLearned borrowing from Latin -polis, from Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis, “city”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "-poleis",
      "head_nr": 2,
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-polises",
      "head_nr": 2,
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "-polis (proper noun-forming suffix)",
      "name": "en-prop"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-poleis",
        "2": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "-polis (noun-forming suffix, plural -poleis or -polises)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using catfix",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 3 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Forms names of cities or kinds of cities."
      ],
      "head_nr": 2,
      "id": "en--polis-en-suffix-3hhFYuM9",
      "links": [
        [
          "cities",
          "city#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "acropolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "aerotropolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "ecumenopolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "helepolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "megalopolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "megametropolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "megapolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "metropolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "micropolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "necropolis"
        },
        {
          "word": "regiopolis"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "-polis"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":lbor",
        "3": "la:-polis<id:city suffix>",
        "id": "city suffix",
        "pos": "suffix",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *tpelH-\nProto-Hellenic *ptólis\nAncient Greek πόλις (pólis)bor.\nLatin -polislbor.\nEnglish -polis\n[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"city suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"city\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"city\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"city\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*tpelH-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*ptólis\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"πόλις\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-polis\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-polis\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"city suffix\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-polis\" id=\"English:_city_suffix\">",
      "name": "etymon"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-polis"
      },
      "expansion": "Learned borrowing from Latin -polis",
      "name": "lbor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "πόλις",
        "t": "city"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis, “city”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *tpelH-\nProto-Hellenic *ptólis\nAncient Greek πόλις (pólis)bor.\nLatin -polislbor.\nEnglish -polis\nLearned borrowing from Latin -polis, from Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis, “city”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "-poleis",
      "head_nr": 2,
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-polises",
      "head_nr": 2,
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "-polis (proper noun-forming suffix)",
      "name": "en-prop"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-poleis",
        "2": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "-polis (noun-forming suffix, plural -poleis or -polises)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "acropolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "aerotropolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "ecumenopolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "helepolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "megalopolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "megametropolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "megapolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "metropolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "micropolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "necropolis"
    },
    {
      "word": "regiopolis"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with etymology trees",
        "English entries with etymon",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English learned borrowings from Latin",
        "English lemmas",
        "English noun-forming suffixes",
        "English nouns with irregular plurals",
        "English proper noun-forming suffixes",
        "English suffixes",
        "English terms borrowed from Latin",
        "English terms derived from Ancient Greek",
        "English terms derived from Latin",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Hellenic",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
        "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *tpelH-",
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "Pages using catfix",
        "Pages with 3 entries",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Pages with etymology trees",
        "Pages with etymon"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Forms names of cities or kinds of cities."
      ],
      "head_nr": 2,
      "links": [
        [
          "cities",
          "city#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "-polis"
}

Download raw JSONL data for -polis meaning in English (3.6kB)

{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/1698",
  "msg": "unrecognized head form: proper noun-forming suffix",
  "path": [
    "-polis"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "suffix",
  "title": "-polis",
  "trace": ""
}

{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/1698",
  "msg": "unrecognized head form: noun-forming suffix",
  "path": [
    "-polis"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "suffix",
  "title": "-polis",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-16 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (d6fca27 and 65e1673). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.