different between public vs following

English

Alternative forms

• publick, publicke, publike, publique (all obsolete)

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman publik, public, Middle French public, publique et al., and their source, Latin p?blicus (“pertaining to the people”). Compare people.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?bl?k/
• Hyphenation: pub?lic

Adjective

public (comparative more public, superlative most public)

1. Able to be seen or known by everyone; open to general view, happening without concealment. [from 14th c.]
2. Pertaining to the people as a whole (as opposed to a private group); concerning the whole country, community etc. [from 15th c.]
   • 2010, Adam Vaughan, The Guardian, 16 Sep 2010:

     A mere 3% of the more than 1,000 people interviewed said they actually knew what the conference was about. It seems safe to say public awareness of the Convention on Biological Awareness in Nagoya - and its goal of safeguarding wildlife - is close to non-existent.
3. Officially representing the community; carried out or funded by the state on behalf of the community. [from 15th c.]
   • 2004, The Guardian, Leader, 18 Jun 2004:

     But culture's total budget is a tiny proportion of all public spending; it is one of the government's most visible success stories.

4. Open to all members of a community; especially, provided by national or local authorities and supported by money from taxes. [from 15th c.]
   • 2011, David Smith, The Guardian, 10 May 2011:

     Some are left for dead on rubbish tips, in refuge bags or at public toilets.
5. (of a company) Traded publicly via a stock market.
6. (not comparable, object-oriented programming) Accessible to the program in general, not only to the class or any subclasses.

Antonyms

• private

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

public (plural publics)

1. The people in general, regardless of membership of any particular group.
   • 2007 May 4, Martin Jacques, The Guardian

     Bush and Blair stand condemned by their own publics and face imminent political extinction.

2. (public relations) A particular group or demographic to be targeted.
   • 2005, Donald Treadwell, ?Jill B. Treadwell, Public Relations Writing: Principles in Practice (page 19)

     To the extent that you will use them to reach many other publics, the news media will also be one of your publics.

3. (archaic) A public house; an inn.

Derived terms

• antipublic
• general public
• Joe Public
• John Q. Public
• member of the public
• public relations
• public-spirited

Translations

References

• public at OneLook Dictionary Search
• public in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• public in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• public in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /py.blik/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin publicus.

Adjective

public (feminine singular publique, masculine plural publics, feminine plural publiques)

1. public

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Noun use of public (compare Latin publicum).

Noun

public m (plural publics)

1. public (people in general)
2. audience

   Il devait plaire à son public.

   He had to please his audience

Further reading

• “public” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Ladin

Adjective

public m pl

1. plural of publich

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin publicus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

public m (feminine singular publica, masculine plural publics, feminine plural publicas)

1. public

   Antonym: privat

Derived terms

• publicament

Noun

public m (plural publics)

1. public, audience

Old French

Alternative forms

• publik
• publiq
• publique

Adjective

public m (oblique and nominative feminine singular publique)

1. public (not private; available to the general populace)

Derived terms

• en public

References

• publik on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French public < Latin publicus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pu.blik/

Adjective

public m or n (feminine singular public?, masculine plural publici, feminine and neuter plural publice)

1. public

Noun

public n (plural publice)

1. the public

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f?l????/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?f?lo???/
• Hyphenation: fol?low?ing

Adjective

following (not comparable)

1. Coming next, either in sequence or in time.

   Synonyms: succeeding; see also Thesaurus:subsequent

   Antonyms: preceding; see also Thesaurus:former

   • 1835, Sir John Ross, Sir James Clark Ross, Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1, pp.284-5

     Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.

2. About to be specified.

   Synonym: undermentioned

   Antonyms: abovementioned, aforementioned, aforesaid

3. (of a wind) Blowing in the direction of travel.

Usage notes

(Senses 1, 2) When it modifies a noun phrase, it is generally preceded by the definite article the, and the combination functions as a determiner rather than a simple adjective. You can put it before a cardinal like the following two remarks instead of the two following remarks.

Translations

Preposition

following

1. After, subsequent to.

   Following the meeting, we all had a chat.

Translations

Noun

following (plural followings)

1. A group of followers, attendants or admirers; an entourage.

   He had a loyal following.
2. Vocation; business; profession.
3. (with definite article, treated as singular or plural) A thing or things to be mentioned immediately after.

   The following is a recommendation letter from the president.

   The following are the three most important questions.

Translations

Verb

following

1. present participle of follow