polis
“polis” means “police” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
police, cop
Also: the fuzz
📝 In Action
Llamaron a la polis porque había mucho ruido.
B1They called the police because there was a lot of noise.
Ten cuidado, hay un coche de la polis en la esquina.
B2Be careful, there's a police car on the corner.
polis
Also: city-state
📝 In Action
La polis de Esparta se enfocaba en la disciplina militar.
C1The polis of Sparta focused on military discipline.
El concepto de ciudadanía nació en la polis griega.
C2The concept of citizenship was born in the Greek polis.
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: polis
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'polis' in its historical, academic sense?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
The word comes directly from Ancient Greek (πόλις, pólis), which meant 'city' or 'city-state.' This root is incredibly important, as it gave rise to many modern words in Spanish and English related to governing and public order, such as 'política' (politics) and 'policía' (police).
First recorded: Used in Spanish academic texts since the 17th century, but the informal meaning is much more recent.
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'polis' a standard, formal word for 'police'?
No. 'Polis' is an extremely common, but informal and sometimes regional, abbreviation for 'policía.' You should use 'policía' in any formal conversation, writing, or when speaking to a police officer.
Why does 'polis' have two such different meanings?
The word 'polis' originally meant 'city' in ancient Greece (meaning 2). The modern word for 'police' ('policía') comes from this same Greek root, as the police are responsible for order in the 'city.' The informal use of 'polis' (meaning 1) is just a recent shortening of 'policía.'