city-state

[ sit-ee-steyt ]
/ ˈsɪt iˌsteɪt /

noun

a sovereign state consisting of an autonomous city with its dependencies.

Origin of city-state

First recorded in 1890–95

Example sentences from the Web for city-state

British Dictionary definitions for city-state

city-state

noun

a state consisting of a sovereign city and its dependencies. Among the most famous are the great independent cities of the ancient world, such as Athens, Sparta, Carthage, Thebes, Corinth, and Rome