policía
police
noun poh-lee-SEE-ah Common
Origin: From French police, ultimately Greek politeia (civic administration).
Also means
police officer
Usage Note
Policía is feminine as an institution (la policía llegó, the police arrived) but masculine when referring to a male officer (el policía, the policeman); a female officer is la policía — same form, different article. The adjective form is policial. In informal speech poli is the colloquial shortening used in Spain.
Examples
"La policía detuvo al sospechoso."
Natural Translation
The police arrested the suspect.
Literal Translation
The police detained to-the suspect
Related Words
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