Where does “city” come from?
City comes from Middle English citee, from Old French cité, from Latin civitas, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱey-.
city (English): A large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes...
Definitions
- A large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes...
Ancestry of “city”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cite | city |
| 2 | Old French | citet | Alternative form of cité |
| 3 | Latin | cīvitās | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | keiwis | society; citizen |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱey- | to be lying down; to settle |
Words derived from “city”