republicyoudaoicibaDictYouDict
republic: [17] Latin rēspublica meant literally a ‘public matter’. It was a compound noun formed from rēs ‘thing, matter’ (source of English real) and publicus ‘public’ (source of English public). It was used as a term for the ‘state’ as governed by its people, and it was first taken over in English in the sense ‘state governed by elected representatives of the people, rather than by a king’ in the first decade of the 17th century.
=> public, real
republic (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
c. 1600, "state in which supreme power rests in the people via elected representatives," from Middle French république (15c.), from Latin respublica (ablative republica) "the common weal, a commonwealth, state, republic," literally res publica "public interest, the state," from res "affair, matter, thing" + publica, fem. of publicus "public" (see public (adj.)). Republic of letters attested from 1702.