Civility
/sɪˈvɪl.ə.ti/noun
Politeness and courteous behavior in social settings.
Did you know?Civility ultimately comes from Latin *civis* (“citizen”), so its earliest sense was tied to life inside the city-state—the controlled, watched, political world of Roman society, not just being nice.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kei-
“to lie down, settle, dwell”
Latin
Latin
civis
“citizen; member of a community”
Late Latin
Latin
civilitas
“citizenship; public life; courtesy”
Old French
Old French
civilité
“civility; courtesy; polite behavior”
Middle English
English
civility
“politeness; courteous conduct”
Modern English
English
civility
“polite, respectful behavior in social life”