body politic
Nation as organism
Body politic is a formal term for a nation or state considered as an organized group of citizens under a single government.
The phrase treats a political entity as if it were a living organism, with the government as its head and citizens as its members.
It appears most often in legal, philosophical, and political contexts: The health of the body politic depends on civic participation.
The term emphasizes collective identity rather than individual citizenship.
Living biological entity
- head of stateNation's chief representative
- membersPeople in an organization
- limbsBody's major appendages
- healthCondition of body, mind
disease · corruption · decay · vitality · circulation · lifeblood · heart · functioning
Inherent physical or structural makeup
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- statecraftArt of government
- jurisdictionLegal authority's scope
- legitimacyLawful or rightful status
polity · democracy · republic · monarchy · federation · confederation · parliament · senate
State for public good
- unionJoining into one
- nation-stateSovereign political territory
- republicState with elected leaders
- federationUnion of semi-autonomous states
community · society · assembly · council · deliberative · representative · solidarity · common good
Eligible voting body
- constituencyElectoral district's voters
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- populaceInhabitants of a place
- votersThose who cast ballots
public · demos · represented · franchise · civic duty · participation · suffrage · mandate
organism
Living biological entity
- head of stateNation's chief representative
- membersPeople in an organization
- limbsBody's major appendages
health · disease · corruption · decay · vitality · circulation · lifeblood · heart · functioning · wholeness
constitution
Inherent physical or structural makeup
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- statecraftArt of government
- jurisdictionLegal authority's scope
legitimacy · polity · democracy · republic · monarchy · federation · confederation · parliament · senate · legislature
commonwealth
State for public good
- unionJoining into one
- nation-stateSovereign political territory
- republicState with elected leaders
federation · community · society · assembly · council · deliberative · representative · solidarity · common good · social contract
electorate
Eligible voting body
- constituencyElectoral district's voters
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- populaceInhabitants of a place
voters · public · demos · represented · franchise · civic duty · participation · suffrage · mandate · consent
- political philosophysocial contract, natural rights, natural law, sovereignty, legitimacy
- HobbesThomas Hobbes, Leviathan, state of nature, social contract, sovereign
- peoplepeople, persons, person, individuals, humans
- bodyflesh, skin, bones, muscle, bone
- body metaphorsbackbone, blind spot, gut feeling, headache, heartbeat
- teamworkteamwork, co-op mode, collaborate, team games, assists
body politicanarchy
Disorder from absent authority
failed state · state of nature · chaos · mob · lawlessness
body politicprivate sphere
Individual's protected domain
private life · household · domestic sphere · civil society · family unit
body, politics, bodily, political, embody, politician, bodies, incorporate, embodiment