English Online Dictionary. What means town? What does town mean?
English
Alternative forms
- tahn, tawn (Bermuda)
- toon (Geordie)
- toune, towne (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English toun, from Old English tūn (“enclosure, garden”), from Proto-West Germanic *tūn, from Proto-Germanic *tūną (“fence”), of Celtic origin, from Proto-Celtic *dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- (“to finish, come full circle”).
See also West Frisian tún, Dutch tuin (“garden”), German Zaun, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian tun; also archaic Welsh din (“hill”), Irish dún (“fortress”). Doublet of dun. See also -ton and tine (“to enclose”).
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) IPA(key): /taʊn/, [tʰaʊ̯n]
- Rhymes: -aʊn
Noun
town (countable and uncountable, plural towns)
- A settlement; an area with residential districts, shops and amenities, and its own local government; especially one larger than a village and smaller than a city, historically enclosed by a fence or walls, with total populations ranging from several hundred to more than a hundred thousand (as of the early 21st century)
- Any more urbanized centre than the place of reference.
- (UK, historical) A rural settlement in which a market was held at least once a week.
- The residents (as opposed to gown: the students, faculty, etc.) of a community which is the site of a university.
- (colloquial) Used to refer to a town or similar entity under discussion.
- A major city, especially one where the speaker is located.
- (informal) A townhouse.
- (law) A municipal organization, such as a corporation, defined by the laws of the entity of which it is a part.
- (obsolete) An enclosure which surrounded the mere homestead or dwelling of the lord of the manor; by extension, the whole of the land which constituted the domain.
- (UK, Scotland, dialect, obsolete) A farm or farmstead; also, a court or farmyard.
- (England, traditional, also Town, in phrases such as 'in town' or 'to town') London, especially central London.
Usage notes
- A city is typically larger than a town, which in turn is typically larger than a village. In rural areas, a town may be considered urban. In urban areas, a town can be considered suburban; a village in the suburbs. The distinctions are fluid and dependent on subjective perception.
Hypernyms
- settlement
Derived terms
- English terms starting with “town”
Nouns
Proper nouns
Descendants
- → Chichewa: tawuni
- → Jersey Dutch: tāun
- → Pennsylvania German: Taun
- → Japanese: タウン (taun)
Translations
See also
- suburban
- rural
- urban
Anagrams
- nowt, wo'n't, won't, wont
Middle English
Noun
town
- Alternative form of toun