Where does “metropole” come from?
metropole (Middle French) comes from Latin mētropolis, from Ancient Greek μητρόπολις, from Ancient Greek πόλις, from Proto-Hellenic ptólis, from Proto-Indo-European tpólHis, from Proto-Indo-European tpelH- — fortification, city.
Ancestry of “metropole”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | mētropolis | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | μητρόπολις | mother-state; one's mother-city, mother country,... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πόλις | city; a whole country, as dependent on and called... |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | ptólis | city |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tpólHis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tpelH- | fortification, city |