City Named the People Before It Named the Place
A city is a large town. The Latin word meant the body of citizens, not the buildings.
A city is a large or important town. Latin *civitas* meant the body of citizens, the community itself; the physical settlement was *urbs*. So *city* originally named people and *urban* named streets, and English inherited both without noticing the difference. In Britain city status is granted by royal charter and has nothing to do with size — St Davids in Wales has fewer than two thousand residents and is a city, while many larger towns are not.
- A large town. *A capital city.*
- The financial district. *The City of London.*
- Civic — of a city. *Civic duty.*
- Urban — of the built town. *Urban.*
- Latin — *civitas*, citizenry. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | city | A city. |
| Plural | cities | Cities. |
| Adjective | civic | Civic. |
| Related | citizen | A citizen. |
| Latin | civitas | Citizenry. |
- The city grew around the harbour.Place.
- Civitas meant the citizens.Etymology.
- St Davids is a tiny city.Fact.
The civis family
- Citizen — a member of the community
- Civic — belonging to the city
- Civil — of citizens, hence civil law and civility
- Civilisation — the condition of living in cities
- Urban comes from *urbs* instead, the physical town
Old French *cite*, from Latin *civitas*, citizenry or state, from *civis*, a citizen.
Did city always mean a place?
No. Latin civitas meant the community of citizens. The physical settlement was urbs, which gives us urban.
How does a British town become a city?
By royal charter. Size is not the criterion, which is why St Davids, with under two thousand residents, is a city.