policy

Policy most commonly refers to a rule or plan of action, especially an official one adopted and followed by a group, organization, or government.

Policy is most commonly used in the context of laws (government policy), a country’s course of action toward others (foreign policy), and the standards or rules that all members of an organization must follow (such as company policy and school policy). Policy also has several other meanings, including an insurance contract.

Example: Management encourages carpooling, but they haven’t made it an official company policy yet.

The first records of policy in English come from the second half of the 1300s. It comes from the Middle English term policie, meaning “government” or “civil administration.” That word was derived from the Latin polītīa, meaning “polity,” a politically united group of any kind. The Latin polītīa is the basis of many related words, including politics and police.

Policies come in many forms, and the singular term policy can refer to a single rule or to a set of rules. In most cases, policy refers to an official rule or plan of action, as in It is university policy not to allow freshmen to have cars on campus. Company policy determines what employees can and cannot do. Government policies might apply to certain government workers or they might extend to all citizens, depending on whether the policy is a rule of a particular department or a law. In politics, a politician’s policies are the plans and rules that they propose or have enacted, as in He talks a lot about his governing style, but what are his actual policies? 

Policies aren’t always official, though. Sometimes, they’re personal, as in It’s my policy never to kiss on the first date. While it may not be official in any way, policy in this context still refers to a general rule or plan of action that one follows. A more specific use of policy is in the insurance field. An insurance policy is the contract between the insurance company and its client, typically stating what kind of events get covered. This sense of policy has a different origin—it derives from the Greek word apódeixis, meaning “demonstration” or “proof.”

What are some other forms related to policy?

• policies (plural)

What are some synonyms for policy?

• rule
• principle
• strategy

What are some words that share a root or word element with policy? 

• politics
• police
• polity
• policymaker
• policyowner

What are some words that often get used in discussing policy?

• foreign
• company
• government
• university
• school
• law

Policy is commonly used in the context of government policy or the policies of organizations like companies and schools.

We have to see it the same as meter enforcement for cars. A lot of people get away w/o paying meters, but we accept it as the cost of "doing business". I'm all for fare gates that minimize evasion, but if these costs exceed the increased revenue, that's just bad policy. /8

— jd (@jodirren) January 16, 2020

After this week's events, I'm changing my policy on blocking.

I fundamentally dislike blocking people on social media, but now that my account has grown so much, it's attracting many weirdos and malcontents with bad intentions.

Have to be more aggressive with it unfortunately.

— ZUBY: (@ZubyMusic) February 29, 2020

"Foreign policy is built on economic muscle"

– @DrSJaishankar #ETGBS

— Manu Pubby (@manupubby) March 7, 2020

Is policy used correctly in the following sentence?

As a part of our company policy, you are not allowed to take phone calls while on the clock unless it is an emergency.