township

English Online Dictionary. What means township‎? What does township mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English towneship, townschip, tounshipe, tunscipe, from Old English tūnsċipe (“the inhabitants of a town; township”), equivalent to town +‎ -ship.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtaʊnʃɪp/

Noun

township (plural townships)

1. The territory of a town.
2. (US, Canada) A subdivision of a county.
3. (South Africa, Pre 1994) An area set aside for nonwhite occupation.
4. (South Africa, Post 1994) A nonwhite (usually subeconomic) area attached to a city.
5. (Australia, New Zealand) A small town.

Usage notes

• In the US (derived from an obsolete UK usage), the term "township" refers to a division of a county, and may include one or more towns, villages, hamlets, or small cities. It may also be an administrative district for an unincorporated rural area. The exact nature of a township, and its role in local administration, differs from state to state. Not every state has townships, more detail can be found in the article Township (United States).

Derived terms

Related terms

• squatter camp

Descendants

• Portuguese: township

Translations

References

Jean Branford, editor (1978), A Dictionary of South African English, Oxford

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tawn.ʃip/

Noun

township m (plural townships)

1. township (in South Africa)
2. (North America) canton

Portuguese

Noun

township

1. (historical) township (area set aside for non-white occupation in South Africa)