public health noun

The maintenance of the health of a community, eg by sanitation, hygienic food preparation, etc, and the measures to achieve this

public health inspector see environmental health officer under environment

public holiday noun

A general holiday

public house noun

1. A house open to the public (obsolete)
2. A building chiefly used for selling alcoholic liquors to be consumed on the premises
3. An inn or tavern

public image see under image

public inquiry noun

An investigation held in public into various aspects (eg safety, environmental effect) of eg a proposed engineering or building project

public-keyˈ adjective (computing)

Of a system of cryptography in which encoding of messages to a particular recipient is done using a public (communal) key, and decoding is by a different (private) key known only to the recipient

public lands plural noun

Lands belonging to a government, esp such as are open to sale, grant, etc

public law noun

1. The law governing relations between public authorities, such as the state, and the individual
2. Sometimes used for international law which, however, may be either public or private

public lecture noun

A lecture open to the general public

public lending right noun

An author's right to payment when his or her books are borrowed from public libraries

public liability see under liable

public limited company see public company above.

public nuisance noun

1. An illegal act harming the general community rather than an individual (law)
2. An annoying, irritating person (informal)

public opinion noun

The opinion of the general public on matters which affect the whole community

public opinion poll noun

A taking of public opinion based on the answers of scientifically selected elements in the community to questioning

public orator noun

An officer of English universities who is the voice of the Senate on all public occasions

public ownership noun

Ownership by the state, eg of nationalized industry

public prosecutor noun

An official whose function is to prosecute people charged with offences

public purse noun

The nation's finances

public relations singular noun

1. The relations between a person, organization, etc and the public
2. The business of setting up and maintaining favourable relations
3. A department of government, an industrial firm, etc, dealing with this

public-relaˈtions adjective

public school noun

1. An endowed grammar school providing a liberal education for those who can afford it, eg Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester, Westminster, Shrewsbury, Charterhouse, St Paul's, Merchant Taylors’
2. A school under the control of a publicly elected body and publicly funded (US)

pubˈlic-school adjective

public sector noun

Government-financed industry, social service, etc

public servant noun

A person employed by the government

public speaking noun

1. The making of formal speeches to a large audience
2. The art of making such speeches

public spending noun

Spending by the government

public-spirˈited adjective

1. Having feelings actuated by regard to the public interest
2. With a regard to the public interest

public-spirˈitedly adverb

public transport noun

Buses, trains, etc for the use of the general public

public trustee noun

(also with caps) an official who is appointed to act as a trustee or executor where required

public utility noun

1. A service or supply provided in a town, etc, for the public, as gas, electricity, water or transport
2. A company providing such a service (US)
3. (in pl) public utility shares

public woman noun (obsolete)

A prostitute

public works plural noun

Building, etc operations funded by the state

go public

1. To become a public company
2. To make widely known something that has been private

in public

Openly, publicly