town

Etymology

From Middle English toun, from Old English tūn (“enclosure, garden”), from Proto-Germanic *tūną (“fence”) (compare West Frisian tún, Dutch tuin (“garden”), German Zaun, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian tun), from Gaulish dūnom (“hill, hillfort”), from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (compare archaic Welsh din (“hill”), Irish dún (“fortress”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- (“to finish, come full circle”). Doublet of dun. See also -ton and tine (“to enclose”).

noun

1. A settlement; an area with residential districts, shops and amenities, and its own local government; especially one larger than a village and smaller than a city, historically enclosed by a fence or walls, with total populations ranging from several hundred to more than a hundred thousand (as of the early 21st century)
   This town is really dangerous because these youngsters have Beretta handguns.
   Apparently the first reference to the making of the town walls of Stafford (it appears pretty clear that the town was never surrounded by one continuous wall or stockade, but partly by one and partly by the other) occurs in the Patent Rolls, from which we find that in 1225 permission was granted by the king to the "good men of Stafford” to collect customs or tolls for a period to enable them to enclose the town. 1920, Birmingham Archaeological Society, Transactions and Proceedings for the Year, page 142
   Walls separated town and country through much of the early modern period. Walls not only protected towns, they also helped give them a sense of autonomy and identity. 2001, Thomas Brennan, “Town and country in France, 1550–1750”, in S. R. Epstein, editor, Town and Country in Europe, 1300-1800, page 250
   Fortifications and town walls clearly highlight the central military significance of towns. 2011, Mikuláš Teich, Dušan Kováč, Martin D. Brown, Slovakia in History, page 42
   As towns continue to grow, replanting vegetation has become a form of urban utopia and green roofs are spreading fast. Last year 1m square metres of plant-covered roofing was built in France, as much as in the US, and 10 times more than in Germany, the pioneer in this field. In Paris 22 hectares of roof have been planted, out of a potential total of 80 hectares. 2013-05-10, Audrey Garric, “Urban canopies let nature bloom”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 22, page 30
   The medieval town, at least in continental Europe, was walled, and without its defences it was no town. 2014, Norman John Greville Pounds, An Economic History of Medieval Europe, page 228
2. Any more urbanized centre than the place of reference.
   I'll be in Yonkers, then I'm driving into town to see the Knicks at the Garden tonight.
3. (UK, historical) A rural settlement in which a market was held at least once a week.
4. The residents (as opposed to gown: the students, faculty, etc.) of a community which is the site of a university.
5. (colloquial) Used to refer to a town or similar entity under discussion.
   Call me when you get to town.
6. A major city, especially one where the speaker is located.
   There's always a business theme, even underlying happy hours. You're never off the clock in this town. 2014, Megan R. Wilson, quoting Scott Talbott, “15 places in DC where lobbyists talk turkey”, in The Hill
7. (informal) A townhouse.
   Detached houses always sell faster than towns or semis. 2002, Garth Turner, The Little Book of Real Estate Wisdom, Toronto, O.N.: Key Porter Books, page 38
   It's not just market forces that are bringing out the semis and towns. Municipalities are requiring developers to build a mix of homes into their new planned communities, partly out of a concession to make more efficient use of virgin land, but also to address the need for more affordable housing for families who might not be able to crack a $300,000 mortgage. 11 June 2004, Derek Raymaker, “Suburbs add semi-detached to the mix”, in The Globe and Mail, Toronto, O.N.: The Woodbridge Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-26
8. (law) A municipal organization, such as a corporation, defined by the laws of the entity of which it is a part.
9. (obsolete) An enclosure which surrounded the mere homestead or dwelling of the lord of the manor; by extension, the whole of the land which constituted the domain.
10. (UK, Scotland, dialect, obsolete) A farm or farmstead; also, a court or farmyard.
11. (England, traditional, also Town, in phrases such as 'in town' or 'to town') London, especially central London.