Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
political, politic (adjs.)
Political is the general adjective today for referring to governmental matters, politics, and political parties. It sometimes has a pejorative edge, suggesting that political considerations will rule rather than the merits of the issue, as in When it appeared the decision would be political, we withdrew our support. Politic (pronounced PAHL-uh-tik) means “political” only in the cliché the body politic; otherwise it means “shrewd, prudent, thoughtful,” and sometimes “tactful”: We thought it would be politic to avoid that subject.
