means A person actively engaged in governing or seeking elected office, especially as a career.

from From the Greek 'politikos,' meaning 'of citizens, of the state,' which traces back to 'polis,' the city-state — the beating civic heart of ancient Greek life. The same root gives us 'policy,' 'politics,' and 'police.' The word entered English in the 1500s through French 'politicien,' and early on it could carry a whiff of the schemer — Shakespeare's day already used 'politician' to mean a crafty, calculating type, so the side-eye is older than you'd think.