nounnoun

el policía

police

Persona que trabaja para mantener el orden y la seguridad en una ciudad o país, y ayuda a las personas en situaciones de peligro.

Definition & meaning

The word policía in Spanish has two primary meanings depending on whether it refers to a person or an institution:

A police officer: It refers to an individual member of a law enforcement agency whose job is to maintain public order, prevent crime, and enforce the law.
The police force: It refers to the institution or the collective body of people responsible for law enforcement in a specific jurisdiction.

In both cases, it is a noun that generally functions as a common gender noun, though it is grammatically feminine (la policía). When referring to a male officer, one might sometimes hear "el policía," while "la policía" is used for the institution or a female officer.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar: It is a noun. When referring to the institution, it is feminine: la policía. When referring to an individual officer, it can take a masculine or feminine article depending on the gender of the person: el policía (male officer) or la policía (female officer).
Word origin: The word comes from the Greek politeia, meaning "state," "citizenship," or "government of a city." It passed through the Latin politia and the French police before entering the Spanish language to describe the administration of public order.