civi-, civ-, cit-

(Latin: city: big town, metropolitan area; citizen: a legal resident or inhabitant)

civil servant (s) (noun), civil servants (pl)
A person who works for the government: Ingrid works for the civil service as a professionally authoritative employee to apply laws and regulations.
civil service (adjective) (usually not comparable)
A reference to a group of civilian employees who take care of the government's primary business: Some examples of the use of the term civil service include: a civil service employee, civil service exams, the civil service system, civil service law, and civil service retirement.
    Civil service careers, or mission-critical careers, include:

  • Foreign Affairs
  • Personnel Management
  • Management Analysis
  • General Accounting and Administration
  • Budget Administration
  • Legal Counsel
  • Passport-Visa Services
  • Public Affairs
  • Contract Procurement
  • Information Technology Management

The civil service careers listed above are shown and described
in more detail at this U.S. Department of State site.

civil service (s) (noun), civil services (pl)
That branch of the federal government which takes care of its basic business: The civil service is not involved with military, legislative, or judicial areas of the ruling body; however, it works to apply the laws and regulations that exist in the system for controlling the country.

Employees of the civil services are civilians who are not subject to political appointment or removal; and normally, they are hired and promoted primarily on the basis of competitive examinations.

civil war (s) (noun), civil wars (pl)
A military battle between groups of people in the same country: Several geographical locations have recently had civil wars these days; Syria and Egypt are just two examples.

The United States had a Civil War between the northern and southern states from 1861 to 1865 when Abraham Lincoln was President.

civilian (s) (noun), civilians (pl)
A person who is not a member of the police, or the military, or a firefighting group: Several civilians were killed or injured when the suicide bomber blew himself up in entrance way to the mosque.
civilian (adjective), more civilian, most civilian
A descriptive term for anyone who is not associated with an armed force or a police unit, etc: Mark's cousin retired from the Air Force and started a career as a civilian mechanic with a commercial airline.
civility (s) (noun), civilities (pl)
Polite, respectful, and reasonable behavior: Mrs. Smith, the teacher, told her students that everyone should be treated with civility; which means, they should be polite and courteous with each other and with other people.

Tom and Sarah, brother and sister, greeted each other with the usual exchange of civilities or polite words and actions.

civilization (s) (noun), civilizations (pl)
1. A condition which exists when people have developed proper ways of organizing a society and who care about art, science, education, living conditions, etc.: Technical advances have had an impact on modern civilization.
2. Well-developed and organized cultures: The history class is studying the ancient Egyptian civilization and then they will take a look at the Greek civilization.
3. A place where things are modern and there is electricity, hot water, and other conveniences: Max had enough camping with his family and he wanted to get back to civilization and his computer games and social contacts.
civilize (verb), civilizes; civilized; civilizing
1. To teach someone, or a group of people, to behave in a way that is more gentle and polite: Ingrid's parents hoped that a boarding school might help civilize her so she wouldn't be so hateful.
2. To make more concerned, fair, and reasonable: Dr. Anderson is a new doctor who has been civilizing the treatment of patients with mental illnesses.
3. To guide or to help others to have a more highly organized and more modern way of living: The missionaries were convinced that it was their responsibility to civilize the natives in the African jungles so they could improve their conditions of existence.
civilized (adjective), more civilized, most civilized
1. Characterized by well-organized laws and rules about how people interact with each other: The more civilized societies usually respond to criminal acts with fairness and justice.
2. A reference to being reasonable, polite, and respectful: Jack and Jill were having a civilized conversation about whether to watch a certain TV program or maybe the other one.
3. Relating to being comfortable and pleasant: Jennifer told her husband that with her new job, she would be able to start the next days with a more civilized hour which would not be as early in the morning as it had been in the past.
4. Showing concern for what is correct according to general social rules: Believe it or not, but there are historians who claim that there were people in the past who lived in a more civilized way because they were focused on what they believed was proper and respectful.
civilizer (s) (noun), civilizers (pl)
A person or something that brings a high state of culture and social development to people: There are some civilizers who strive to refine, to educate, and to enlighten those who exist in unacceptable and crude life styles.
civilly (adverb), more civilly, most civilly
Relating to anyone who relates to another person, or people, in a polite and amicable manner: After their disagreements regarding how to proceed with the project, they civilly shook hands, even though it was an awkward moment for both of them.
cybercitizen (s) (noun), cybercitizens (pl)
Members of an online community or those who use the internet to exercise democratic rights in their municipality: Cybercitizens use the internet as a means of participating in political activities by exchanging views, providing information, voting, etc.

Some cybercitizens use the internet as a powerful communications medium for social changes and the implication is that internet users, who use and know most about it, have responsibilities to ensure that it is used to improve the system while also fostering free speech and easy access.

cyber-civil disobedience (s) (noun), cyber-civil disobediences (pl)
Breaking laws, and suggesting that others do the same, in which the participants use information technology to carry out their actions: Cyber-civil disobedience, or the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, involves the use of computers and/or the internet which is also known as "hacktivism".
decivilization (s) (noun), decivilizations (pl)
Cultures that lost their existence because of external military factors and changes in cultural patterns: Some decivilizations are said to have taken place because of military invasions and drastic changes in economic conditions; as well as, how people reacted to the new social changes.