Metropolis

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /mɪˈtɹɒpÉ™lɪs/

Origin

First attested in Middle English: from Late Latin mētropolis, from Ancient Greek μητρόπολις (mētrópolis, "mother city"), from μήτηρ (mḗtēr, "mother") + πόλις (pólis, "city (state)").

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary Edition

Full definition of metropolis

Noun

1. (history) The mother (founding) polis (city state) of a colony, especially in the Ancient Greek/Hellenistic world.
2. A large, busy city, especially as the main city in an area or country or as distinguished from surrounding rural areas.
• 1819, s:Author:Washington Irving, s:The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, An immense metropolis, like London, is calculated to make men selfish and uninteresting.
3. (canon law) The see of a metropolitan archbishop, ranking above its suffragan diocesan bishops.

Derived terms

Synonyms

• (colony’s founding polis) mother city, metropole
• (metropolitan archbishop’s see) archbishopric