City
/ˈsɪt.i/noun
A large and permanent human settlement.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin civitas, not just “a place,” but the body of citizens and their civic identity — the city was first a people, then a place.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱey-
“to lie down, to settle”
Latin
Latin
civis
“citizen, member of a community”
Latin
Latin
civitas
“citizenship; body of citizens; state; city”
Old French
Old French
cite
“town, city”
Middle English
English
cite
“city, town”
Modern English
English
city
“a large and permanent human settlement”