Baladiyya
/bæˈlædɪjə/noun
An Arabic term for a municipality or local government authority.
Did you know?Baladiyya comes from Arabic balad, meaning “town,” “country,” or “homeland,” a root that also appears in the political expression bilād, “lands.”
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
balad
“Town, inhabited place, or territory”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
baladī
“Of the town, local, or native”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
baladiyya
“A feminine noun formed from baladī, referring to a local or municipal institution”
Ottoman and modern Middle Eastern usage
Arabic
baladiyya
“Municipality or town administration”
20th–21st Century
English
baladiyya
“A municipality, especially in discussions of Arab local government”