metropolis

[ mi-trop-uh-lis ]
/ mɪˈtrɒp ə lɪs /

noun, plural me·trop·o·lis·es.

any large, busy city.
the chief, and sometimes capital, city of a country, state, or region.
a central or principal place, as of some activity: the music metropolis of France.
the mother city or parent state of a colony, especially of an ancient Greek colony.
the chief see of an ecclesiastical province.

Origin of metropolis

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin mētropolis < Greek mētrópolis a mother state or city, equivalent to mētro-, combining form of mḗtēr mother1 + pólis -polis, polis

Example sentences from the Web for metropolis

British Dictionary definitions for metropolis

metropolis
/ (mɪˈtrɒpəlɪs) /

noun plural -lises

the main city, esp of a country or region; capital
a centre of activity
the chief see in an ecclesiastical province

Word Origin for metropolis

C16: from Late Latin from Greek: mother city or state, from mētēr mother + polis city