city
//ˈsɪti//
Forms
- Plural
- cities
Definitions
1.A large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes with a specific legal definition, depending on the place.
- São Paulo is the largest city in South America.
- But clever cities will not necessarily be better ones.
- Ah, knovv you not the Citie fauours them, / And they haue troupes of Souldiers at their beck?
2.The central business district; downtown.
- I'm going into the city today to do some shopping.
3.A large amount of something (used after the noun).(slang)
- It’s video game city in here!
Frequency
Overall
Very common· #222
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Common
- General reading & writing
- Very common
- Academic
- Uncommon
- Literature
- Uncommon
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English cite, derived from Old French cite, derived from Late Latin cīvitātem (“city”), in Classical Latin "citizenry", derived from cīvis (“fellow-citizen”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“lie down; settle”).