πόλις 1 gen. πόλεως dissyll. in attic Poets ionic and doric πόλιος dissyll. in Il.
I.doric πολίεσι:—acc. πόλεις, πόλιας:— a city, Hom., Hes., etc.; πόλις ἄκρη and ἀκροτάτη, ῀ ἀκρόπολις, the citadel, Il.: this at Athens was often called simply πόλις, while the rest of the city was called ἄστυ, Thuc., etc.:—the name of the city was often added in gen., Ἰλίου π., Ἄργους π. the city of . . , Aesch., etc.; also in appos., ἡ Μένδη π. Thuc.
2.one's city or country, Od., etc.
II.when πόλις and ἄστυ are joined, the former is the body of citizens, the latter their dwellings, Il.; ὧν πόλις ἀνάριθμος ὄλλυται, where πόλις = a number of citizens, Soph.:—hence,
2.the state (πολιτεία), Hes., Pind., attic: esp. a free state, republic, Soph., Xen., etc.
3.the right of citizenship, like Lat. civitas, Ar., Dem.
