Po-Po
/ˈpoʊ.poʊ/noun
An informal American slang term for the police.
Did you know?The exact coinage is uncertain, but “po-po” became especially prominent in late-20th-century American street and hip-hop language as a reduplicated shortening of “police.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pelh₁-
“A reconstructed root associated with a fortified place or settlement; its descendants contributed to the ancient word-family behind “city.””
Ancient Greek
Greek
polis
“City or city-state.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
politeia
“Citizenship, government, or the administration of a city-state.”
15th Century
Middle French
police
“Government, public order, or regulation.”
16th Century
English
police
“The organization responsible for maintaining public order.”
Late 20th Century
American English
po-po
“Informal reduplicated slang for the police, with the precise origin uncertain.”
Explore more surprising origins