civil /sivˈil/

1. Relating to the community
2. Polite (in any degree short of discourtesy)
3. Relating to ordinary life, not military
4. Lay, secular, temporal, not ecclesiastical
5. Relating to the individual citizen
6. Relating to private relations amongst citizens, and such suits as arise out of these (cf criminal) (law)
7. Naturally good, as opposed to good through regeneration (theology)

civilˈian noun and adjective

1. (a person) engaged in civil as distinguished from military and naval pursuits
2. (a professor or student) of civil law, as opposed to canon law

civilˈianize or civilˈianise transitive verb

1. To convert from military to civilian use
2. To replace military personnel in (a factory, etc) by civilians

civˈilist noun (archaic)

A person versed in civil law

civilˈity noun

1. Politeness
2. (often in pl) an act of politeness
3. Civilization (archaic)
4. Good breeding (obsolete)

civˈilly adverb

civˈism noun

1. Good citizenship
2. The state of being favourably inclined to French Revolution principles

civil aviation noun

Non-military flying, esp commercial airlines and their operation

civil commotion noun

A term used in insurance policies denoting a state of civil unrest between riot and civil war

civil day, civil year or civil time noun

The day, year or time, as reckoned for ordinary purposes

civil death noun (law)

Formerly, the loss of all civil and legal privileges

civil defence noun

A civilian service for the wartime protection of the civilian population against enemy attack

civil disobedience noun

Refusal to obey laws and regulations, pay taxes, etc, used as non-violent means of forcing concessions from government

civil engineer noun

A person who plans and builds railways, roads, bridges, docks, etc, as opposed to a military engineer, or to a mechanical engineer

civil engineering noun

civil law noun

The law laid down by a state regarding the rights of the inhabitants, esp that founded on Roman law (cf criminal law)

civil liberty noun

(often in pl) personal freedom of thought, word, action, etc

civil list noun

1. Formerly, a list of charges for civil government purposes
2. Now a fixed annual sum provided by Parliament to meet the sovereign's expenses incurred as head of state (civil list pensions those granted by royal favour)

civil marriage noun

A marriage performed by an official who is not a clergyman and involving a civil contract without religious ceremony and vows

civil partnership or civil union noun

An agreement between two people, usu of the same sex, giving them a legal status similar to that of a married couple

civil rights plural noun

(often with caps) the rights of a citizen to personal freedom, ie political, racial, legal, social, etc

civil-rightsˈ adjective

• prebiotic
• preborn
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• prebuttal
• prebuttals
• pre-buy
• pre-buying
• pre-buys
• Precambrian
• pre-cancel
• pre-cancelled
• pre-cancelling
• pre-cancels
• precancerous
• precarious
• precariously
• precariousness
• precariousnesses
• precast
• precative
• precatory
• precaution
• precautional
• precautionary
• precautioned