| source : web1913 | Politic \Pol`i*tic\, n. A politician. [Archaic] --Bacon. Swiftly the politic goes; is it dark? he borrows a lantern; Slowly the statesman and sure, guiding his feet by the stars. --Lowell. | source : web1913 | Politic \Pol"i*tic\, a. [L. politicus political, Gr. ? belonging to the citizens or to the state, fr.? citizen: cf. F. politique. See {Police}, and cf. {ePolitical}.] 1. Of or pertaining to polity, or civil government; political; as, the body politic. See under {Body}. He with his people made all but one politic body. --Sir P. Sidney. 2. Pertaining to, or promoting, a policy, especially a national policy; well-devised; adapted to its end, whether right or wrong; -- said of things; as, a politic treaty. ``Enrich'd with politic grave counsel.'' --Shak. 3. Sagacious in promoting a policy; ingenious in devising and advancing a system of management; devoted to a scheme or system rather than to a principle; hence, in a good sense, wise; prudent; sagacious; and in a bad sense, artful; unscrupulous; cunning; -- said of persons. Politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy. --Shak. Syn: Wise; prudent; sagacious; discreet; provident; wary; artful; cunning. | source : wn | politic adj 1: marked by artful prudence, expedience, and shrewdness; "it is neither polite nor politic to get into other people's quarrels"; "a politic decision"; "a politic manager"; "a politic old scoundrel"; "a shrewd and politic reply" [ant: {impolitic}] 2: smoothly agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication; "he was too politic to quarrel with so important a personage"; "the hostess averted a confrontation between two guests with a diplomatic change of subject"; "the manager pacified the customer with a smooth apology for the error"; "affable, suave, moderate men...smugly convinced of their respectability" Ezra Pound [syn: {smooth}, {suave}]