civ·il /'si-vəl/ adj [Latin civilis, from civis citizen]
1: concerning, befitting, or applying to individual citizens or to citizens as a whole
a civil duty see also civil right
2: marked by public order: peaceable in behavior
3: of or relating to a legal system based on Roman law as opposed to the English common law see also the judicial system in the back matter
4: relating to private rights and to judicial proceedings in connection with them; esp: relating to legal matters other than those characterized as criminal
a civil action
a civil infraction
5: defined by law: legal
a civil disability
6: of, relating to, or involving the general public, their activities, needs, ways, or civic affairs as distinguished from special (as military or religious) affairs
the civil authorities
the civil service
civ·il·ly adv
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.