city

city

noun, often attributive \ˈsi-tē\

plural cit·ies

Definition of CITY

1

a : an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village b : an incorporated British town usually of major size or importance having the status of an episcopal see c capitalized (1) : the financial district of London (2) : the influential financial interests of the British economy d : a usually large or important municipality in the United States governed under a charter granted by the state e : an incorporated municipal unit of the highest class in Canada

2

: city-state

3

: the people of a city

4

slang : a thing, event, or situation that is strongly characterized by a specified quintessential feature or quality <the movie was shoot-out city>

Examples of CITY

1. major cities like London, Tokyo, and Rome
2. The city is working to make the streets safer.
3. a lawsuit against the city

Origin of CITY

Middle English citie large or small town, from Anglo-French cité, from Medieval Latin civitat-, civitas, from Latin, citizenship, state, city of Rome, from civis citizen — more at hind

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to CITY

Synonyms: asphalt jungle, burg, cosmopolis, megacity, megalopolis, metropolis, municipality, town

Related Words: borough; conurbation; urban sprawl; exurb, suburb, suburbia; central city, edge city, garden city; core city, downtown, inner city, midtown

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Rhymes with CITY

bitty, ditty, gritty, kitty, pity, pretty, tittie, witty