Town
/taʊn/noun
A built-up settlement larger than a village and smaller than a city.
Did you know?The English word town comes from an old Germanic root meaning an enclosure, which is why it’s historically tied to the idea of a protected boundary rather than open space.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₁-
“to put, place, set”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*tūną
“an enclosure, yard, fenced settlement”
Old English
OE
tūn
“an enclosure, homestead, village, estate”
Middle English
ME
town
“a settlement or enclosed place”
Modern English
English
town
“a built-up settlement larger than a village and smaller than a city”