| civet cat |
any of several catlike nocturnal mammals of Africa and southern Asia that have spotted fur and exude a musklike substance. [2 definitions] |
| civic |
of or concerning a city; municipal. [2 definitions] |
| civic responsibility |
a particular responsibility or duty deemed an important aspect of being a productive and contributing citizen of a community or country. Ideas about what constitutes one's civic responsibilities vary but often include such things as obeying laws, voting in elections, respecting the rights of others, and performing public service. |
| civics |
(used with a sing. verb) a branch of political science that deals with the rights and duties of citizens and with civic matters. |
| civies |
variant of civvies. |
| civil |
of or concerning citizens or the general population. [4 definitions] |
| civil defense |
emergency procedures and facilities organized by civilians for the protection of people and property in cases of flood, famine, war, or the like. |
| civil disobedience |
the intentional, nonviolent refusal to comply with a government law or requirement, in order to try to influence the government to change some law, policy, or the like. |
| civil engineering |
the branch of engineering concerned with designing, building, or repairing roads, bridges, tunnels, and other public works. |
| civilian |
a person who is not serving in the military or the police. [2 definitions] |
| Civilian Conservation Corps |
the New Deal program in the U.S. (1933-42) that provided conservation work for the unemployed during the Great Depression, through activities such as constructing and maintaining buildings and trails for state and national parks. |
| civility |
courteous behavior; politeness. [2 definitions] |
| civilization |
an advanced state of development of a society as judged by such things as having a complex system of government and laws, use of a written language, and the keeping of written records. [6 definitions] |
| civilize |
to bring to an educated or refined condition; cause impulsive or destructive behavior to be voluntarily restrained. |
| civilized |
educated or refined; not impulsive or destructive; socialized or civil. |
| civil law |
the section of law that deals with the rights of the citizens, as distinct from laws that regulate criminal acts, military personnel, or international trade. [3 definitions] |
| civil liberty |
a citizen's freedom to exercise certain rights, such as the right to free speech or free assembly, as guaranteed by the laws of a country. |
| civil marriage |
a marriage performed by a government official, such as a justice of the peace, rather than a clergyman. |
| civil rights |
the rights guaranteed by a nation's government to all its citizens. [2 definitions] |
| Civil Rights Act |
in the U.S., any of several laws intended to protect civil rights, esp. the landmark law passed by Congress in 1964 that aimed to protect the constitutional right of all citizens to vote and to prevent racial discrimination in places of employment, public facilities, public accommodations, and the like. |
| Civil Rights Movement |
a movement in the United States particularly prominent during the 1950s and 1960s that sought to end racial discrimination, legal segregation of blacks and whites, and racial barriers to voting. The movement was led by black leaders such as Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, and James Farmer. It mobilized tens of thousands of African Americans in protest against existing laws and practices. Activists, both black and white, endured harassment and violence from the police and others as the movement progressed. Eventually, the American civil rights movement brought about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and other measures. [2 definitions] |