Civile

/sɪˈvaɪl/ adjective

Definition

An archaic or rare variant meaning civil or relating to citizens and civic matters.

Etymology

From Latin civilis, directly related to the modern English adjective civil. This form preserves the Romance language spelling pattern seen in French and Italian.

Kelly Says

Language historians find 'civile' fascinating because it shows English's competition between Latin and Romance forms; we chose 'civil' over 'civile,' but Italian and French kept closer to the original Latin, showing how English was uniquely influenced by Norman French.

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