Main Entry:

town·ship

Pronunciation:

\ˈtau̇n-ˌship\

Function:

noun

Date:

12th century

1: an ancient unit of administration in England identical in area with or a division of a parish2 a: town 6 b: a unit of local government in some northeastern and north central states usually having a chief administrative officer or board c: an unorganized subdivision of the county in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont d: an electoral and administrative district of the county in the southern United States3: a division of territory in surveys of United States public land containing 36 sections or 36 square miles4: an area in the Republic of South Africa segregated for occupation by persons of non-European descent