# town
## English
### Alternative forms

* tahn, tawn (Bermuda)
* toon (Geordie)
* toune, towne (obsolete)

### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* (UK, US) IPA: /taʊn/, [tʰaʊ̯n]
* Audio (UK):(file)
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -aʊn

### Noun

town (countable and uncountable, plural towns)
* 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.
** 1920, Birmingham Archaeological Society, Transactions and Proceedings for the Year, page 142: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.
** 2001, Thomas Brennan, “Town and country in France , 1550–1750”, in S. R. Epstein, editor, Town and Country in Europe, 1300-1800, page 250: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.
** 2011, Mikuláš Teich, Dušan Kováč, Martin D. Brown, Slovakia in History, page 42:Fortifications and town walls clearly highlight the central military significance of towns.
** 2013 May 10, Audrey Garric, “Urban canopies let nature bloom”, in The Guardian Weekly‎, volume 188, number 22, page 30: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.
** 2014, Norman John Greville Pounds, An Economic History of Medieval Europe, page 228:The medieval town, at least in continental Europe, was walled, and without its defences it was no town.
* 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.
** 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.
* (UK, historical) A rural settlement in which a market was held at least once a week.
* The residents (as opposed to gown: the students, faculty, etc.) of a community which is the site of a university.
* (colloquial) Used to refer to a town or similar entity under discussion.
    Call me when you get to town.
** 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting […] , and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.
* A major city, especially one where the speaker is located.
** 2014, Megan R. Wilson, quoting Scott Talbott, “15 places in DC where lobbyists talk turkey”, in The Hill‎:There's always a business theme, even underlying happy hours. You're never off the clock in this town.
* (informal) A townhouse.
** 2002, Garth Turner, The Little Book of Real Estate Wisdom, Toronto, O.N.: Key Porter Books, →ISBN, page 38:Detached houses always sell faster than towns or semis.
** 2004 June 11, 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: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.
* (law) A municipal organization, such as a corporation, defined by the laws of the entity of which it is a part.
* (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.
* (UK, Scotland, dialect, obsolete) A farm or farmstead; also, a court or farmyard.
* (England, traditional, also Town, in phrases such as 'in town' or 'to town') London, especially central London.

#### Usage notes

* A city is typically larger than a town, which in turn is typically larger than a village. In rural areas, a town may be considered urban. In urban areas, a town can be considered suburban; a village in the suburbs. The distinctions are fluid and dependent on subjective perception.

#### Hypernyms

* settlement

#### Derived terms

* English terms starting with “town”

##### Nouns

* agrotown
* assize town
* bad part of town
* bedroom town
* big end of town
* blow town
* book town
* boom town, boomtown
* B-town
* bytown
* cathedral town
* churchtown
* clone town
* closed town
* coal town
* college town
* come upon the town
* commuter town
* company town
* county town
* cowtown
* cow town
* cross town, cross-town, crosstown
* cybertown
* darktown
* dog town
* dormitory town
* down-town
* downtown
* ecotown
* fortified town
* garrison town
* gentleman about town
* get out of town
* ghost town
* go to town
* go-to-town
* go to town on
* gray town
* hat town
* hill town, hilltown
* hog town
* hometown, home town
* intertown
* intown
* in town
* jerkwater town
* kirktown
* kirk-town
* leave town
* man-about-town
* man about town
* market town
* midtown
* monotown
* multitown
* new kid in town
* new town
* old town
* oldtown
* one-camel town
* one-horse town
* only game in town
* on the town
* out-of-town
* out of town
* paint the town
* paint the town red
* panchayat town
* paper town
* park the beef bus in tuna town
* post town
* pound town
* P-town
* Radio Town
* resort town
* roll around town
* run out of town
* satellite town
* shacktown
* shantytown
* shanty town
* shire town
* skip town
* small-town
* smalltown
* small town
* stannary town
* sundowner town
* sundown town
* sunset town
* take someone to brown town
* take to pound town
* talk of the town
* tank town
* there is a new sheriff in town
* toast of the town
* top end of town
* town-and-gown
* town and gown
* townball
* town ball
* town belt
* town bicycle
* town bike
* town-building game
* town camp
* town car
* town center, town centre
* town-clerk
* town clerk
* town council
* town councillor
* town cress
* town crier
* town drunk
* town dweller
* town-dweller
* towndweller
* towned
* townee
* towner
* townfield
* townfolk
* townful
* town gas
* town hall, townhall
* townhome
* townhood
* town house, townhouse
* townie
* townish
* townland
* townless
* townlet
* townlike
* townling
* townly
* town mail
* townman
* town manager
* townmate
* town mayor
* town planner
* town planning
* townscape
* townsfellow
* townsfolk
* township
* townsite
* townsman
* townsmate
* townspeople
* townsperson
* town square
* townswoman
* town twinning
* town walls
* townward
* townwards
* townwear
* townwide
* towny
* transition town
* Troy town
* twin town
* university town
* uptown
* wich town
* woman about town
* woman of the town
* wrong side of town
* Zoom town

##### Proper nouns

* Abbeytown
* Abbottstown
* Adamstown
* Allendale Town
* Allentown
* Andersonstown
* Anytown (fictitious)
* Arkwright Town
* Arrowtown
* Bagenalstown
* Banglatown
* Bankstown
* Bardstown
* Beantown
* Beetown
* Bentinck Town
* Blacktown
* Blandtown
* Blanktown (fictitious)
* Blountstown
* Bordertown
* Boystown
* Bricktown
* Bridgetown
* Broad Town
* Brown's Town
* Butetown
* Byrdstown
* Cabbagetown
* Camden Town
* Campbelltown
* Canning Town
* Canvastown
* Cape Town
* Carlton Town
* Castletown
* Cathedraltown
* Cedartown
* Chapeltown
* Charles Town
* Charlestown
* Charlottetown
* Chasetown
* Chestertown
* Chinatown
* Churchtown
* Coontown
* Cowtown
* Creetown
* Dalton
* Douglastown
* Downingtown
* Doylestown
* Draperstown
* Dufftown
* Earlestown
* Eatontown
* Edgartown
* Elizabethtown
* Ellistown
* Forbestown
* Fordtown
* Fredericktown
* Freetown
* Frenchtown
* Frytown
* George Town
* Georgetown
* Germantown
* Glovertown
* Gnometown
* Grantown-on-Spey
* Greeleytown
* Greytown
* Griffithstown
* Hagerstown
* Hamilton Town
* Hartington Town Quarter
* Heath Town
* Helltown
* High Town, Hightown
* Hilltown
* Hockeytown
* Huntingtown
* Hymietown
* Irishtown
* Irvinestown
* Jamestown
* Jeffersontown
* Jenkintown
* Jeppestown
* Jonestown
* Jordanstown
* Kelleytown
* Kemp Town
* Kentish Town
* Koreatown
* Laketown
* Lawrencetown
* Leonardtown
* Levittown
* Lewistown
* Lombardstown
* Lordstown
* Low Town
* Marshalltown
* Marystown
* Marytown
* Matlock Town
* Maurertown
* Medway Towns
* Middletown
* Mifflintown
* Millertown
* Milltown
* Mitchelstown
* Mobtown
* Morristown
* Motown
* Nethertown
* Newtown
* Nicholtown
* Niggatown
* Niggertown
* Norristown
* Old Town
* Orangetown
* Pembrey and Burry Port Town
* Philipstown
* Pittstown
* Powelltown
* Princetown
* Provincetown
* Puddletown
* Pumpkintown
* Queenstown
* Randalstown
* Rootstown
* Savile Town
* Seatown
* Shortstown
* Silvertown
* Simonstown
* Skellytown
* Smithtown
* Somers Town
* Southtown
* Spanish Town
* St John's Town of Dalry
* Thomastown
* Tinseltown
* Town End, Townend
* Town Green
* Town Head, Townhead
* Townhill
* Townsend
* Toytown
* Trench Town
* Tylertown
* Uniontown
* Victoriatown
* Voluntown
* Watertown
* West Town
* Williamstown
* Wilsontown
* Wrightstown
* Yankeetown
* York Town
* Yorktown
* Youngstown

#### Descendants

* → Chichewa: tawuni
* → Jersey Dutch: tāun
* → Pennsylvania German: Taun
* → Japanese: タウン (taun)

#### Translations

Abkhaz: ақалақь (akalakʲ)
Adyghe: къалэ (qalɛ)
Afrikaans: dorp (af)
Ahom: 𑜋𑜦𑜧 (chē)
Ainu: コタン (kotan)
Albanian: qytet (sq) m, qytezë (sq) f
Amharic: ከተማ (am) (kätäma)
Arabic: مَدِينَة (ar) f (madīna), قَرْيَة (ar) f (qarya), بَلْدَة (ar) f (balda)
Egyptian Arabic: مدينة f (madina)
Moroccan Arabic: مدينة f (mdīna)
South Levantine Arabic: بلد f (balad), مدينة f (madīne)
Aragonese: ziudat
Archi: шагьру (šahru)
Armenian: քաղաք (hy) (kʻaġakʻ), ավան (hy) (avan)
Aromanian: cãsãbã (roa-rup) f
Assamese: নগৰ (nôgôr), চহৰ (sohor)
Asturian: pueblu (ast) m, ciudá (ast) f
Avar: шагьар (šahar)
Azerbaijani: şəhər (az), qəsəbə (az)
Baekje: 夫里 (buri)
Bashkir: ҡала (qala)
Basque: herri
Bavarian: Ståd f
Belarusian: го́рад m (hórad), ме́ста n (mjésta), мястэ́чка n (mjastéčka)
Bengali: শহর (bn) (śohor), নগর (bn) (nogor)
Breton: kêr (br) f, kêrioù (br) pl, kumun (br) f, kumunioù pl
Bulgarian: град (bg) m (grad), касаба́ f (kasabá), пала́нка (bg) f (palánka) (archaic)
Burmese: မြို့ (my) (mrui.)
Buryat: хото (xoto)
Carpathian Rusyn: мі́сто n (místo)
Catalan: poble (ca) m, ciutat (ca) f, vila (ca) f
Cebuano: lungsod
Chamicuro: chi'nashtalichi
Chechen: юрт (jurt), гӏала (ğala)
Cherokee: ᎦᏚᎲᎢ (gaduhvi)
Chichewa: tawuni
Chickasaw: okla
Chinese:
Cantonese: 城市 (sing$^4$ si$^5$), 城鎮 / 城镇 (sing$^4$ zan$^3$), 鎮 / 镇 (zan$^3$)
Dungan: чыншы (čɨnšɨ), чын (čɨn), шы (šɨ), чынпу (čɨnpu)
Eastern Min: 城市 (siàng-chê)
Hakka: 城市 (sàng-sṳ)
Hokkien: 城市 (zh-min-nan) (siâⁿ-chhī)
Mandarin: 城市 (zh) (chéngshì), 城 (zh) (chéng), 鎮 / 镇 (zh) (zhèn), 城鎮 / 城镇 (zh) (chéngzhèn)
Wu: 城市, 鎮 / 镇
Chuvash: хула (hula)
Coptic: ⲃⲁⲕⲓ (baki)
Czech: město (cs) n
Danish: by (da) c
Dutch: gemeente (nl) f, stad (nl) f, nederzetting (nl) f, tuin (nl) m
Eastern Mari: ола (ola)
Egyptian: (nwt f)
Elfdalian: stað m
Erzya: ош (oš)
Esperanto: urbo (eo), urbeto
Estonian: linn (et)
Faroese: býur (fo) m
Finnish: pikkukaupunki (fi), kunta (fi), kaupunki (fi)
French: ville (fr) f, commune (fr) f, bourg (fr) m, villette (fr) f, villotte (fr) f
Galician: vila (gl) f
Georgian: ქალაქი (ka) (kalaki)
German: Stadt (de) f, Ort (de) m, Städtchen (de) n, Gemeinde (de) f
Greek: πόλη (el) f (póli)
Ancient: ἄστυ n (ástu), πολίχνιον n (políkhnion)
Greenlandic: illoqarfik (kl)
Gujarati: શહેર (gu) (śaher), નગર (gu) (nagar)
Hausa: birni (ha)
Hebrew: עִיר (he) f (ir), קִרְיָה (he) f (kiryá), יִשּׁוּב (he) m (yishúv)
Higaonon: banuwa
Hiligaynon: banwa, lungsod
Hindi: शहर (hi) m (śahar), नगर (hi) m (nagar)
Hungarian: város (hu)
Icelandic: bær (is) m
Ido: urbo (io)
Indonesian: kotamadya, kota (id)
Irish: baile (ga) m, baile mór m
Italian: città (it) f
Japanese: 街 (ja) (まち, machi), 町 (ja) (まち, machi), 都市 (ja) (とし, toshi)
Jeju: ᄆᆞ슬 (mawseul)
Kamba: taunii
Kannada: ನಗರ (kn) (nagara)
Karelian: linna
Kashubian: gard
Kazakh: қала (kk) (qala), шаһар (şahar) (literary)
Khmer: ទីក្រុង (tii krong), ផ្សារ (km) (phsaa)
Kikuyu: taoni
Kinaray-a: banwa
Komi-Permyak: кар (kar)
Korean: 마을 (ko) (ma'eul), 읍(邑) (ko) (eup), 시(市) (ko) (si)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: شارۆکە (şaroke), شارۆچکە (ckb) (şaroçke)
Northern Kurdish: bajarok (ku)
Kyrgyz: шаар (ky) (şaar)
Ladin: zità
Lao: ເມືອງ (lo) (mư̄ang), ຊຽງ (sīang), ນະຄອນ (na khǭn)
Latin: oppidum (la) n
Latvian: pilsēta (lv) f
Lithuanian: miestelis (lt) m
Lü: ᦵᦞᦇ (veng), ᦵᦈᦲᧃᧈ (ṫsoen¹), ᦵᦋᧂ (tseng)
Luhya: mtauni, etauni
Macedonian: град (mk) m (grad), паланка f (palanka)
Malagasy: tanana (mg)
Malay: bandar (ms)
Malayalam: നഗരം (ml) (nagaraṁ)
Maltese: raħal m, belt (mt) f
Maori: tāone (mi)
Marathi: शहर (mr) (śahar), नगर n (nagar)
Meru: tauni
Moksha: ош (oš)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: хот (mn) (xot)
Mongolian: ᠬᠣᠲᠠ (qota)
Nanai: хотон (hoton)
Navajo: kin shijaaʼ, kin łání, kin
Nivkh: хота (xota)
North Frisian: (Föhr-Amrum) steed n
Northern Mansi: ӯс (ūs)
Northern Thai: ᨩ᩠ᨿᨦ
Norwegian:
Bokmål: by (no) m
Nynorsk: by m
Odia: ନଗର (or) (nagara), ସହର (sahara)
Ojibwe: oodena
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: градъ m (gradŭ), мѣсто n (město)
Old East Slavic: градъ m (gradŭ), мѣсто n (město), городъ m (gorodŭ)
Old English: burg f, tūn m
Old French: vile f
Old High German: burg f, stat m
Old Turkic: 𐰉𐰞𐰶 (balïq)
Oromo: magaalaa
Ossetian: сахар (saxar), горӕт (goræt)
Ottoman Turkish: قصبه (kasaba), شهر (şehir), كنت (kent)
Pashto: ښار (ps) (ẍâr)
Pennsylvania German: Schtettel, Schteddel, Schteddelche, Schtettli, Schteddliche, Taun
Persian:
Classical Persian: شَهْر (šahr), قَصَبَه (qasaba)
Iranian Persian: شَهْر (šahr), شَهْرَک (šahrak), قَصَبِه (ğasabe)
Plautdietsch: Staut f
Polish: miasto (pl) n, miasteczko (pl) m
Portuguese: vila (pt) f
Punjabi: ਸ਼ਹਿਰ (pa) (śahir)
Purepecha: iréta
Quechua: llaqta (qu)
Romanian: oraș (ro) n
Romansch: citad f
Russian: го́род (ru) m (górod), городо́к (ru) m (gorodók), посёлок (ru) m (posjólok), месте́чко (ru) n (mestéčko), град (ru) m (grad) (archaic or poetic)
Sami:
Kildin Sami: ланнҍ (lann’)
Ter Sami: ланнӭ (lânnʹe)
Sanskrit: नगर (sa) n (nagara)
Scots: toun
Scottish Gaelic: baile m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: гра̑д m, ва́рош f (regional), каса̀ба f (regional), па̀ла̄нка f
Roman: grȃd (sh) m, vároš (sh) f (regional), kasàba (sh) f (regional), pàlānka (sh) f
Shor: тура (tura)
Sinhalese: නගරය (si) (nagaraya)
Slovak: mesto (sk) n
Slovene: mésto (sl) n
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: město n
Upper Sorbian: město (hsb) n
Spanish: ciudad (es) f, pueblo (es) m, villa f
Swahili: mji (sw) class m-mi
Swedish: stad (sv) c, tätort (sv) c, by (sv) c (obsolete), småstad (sv) c
Tabasaran: шагьур (šahur)
Tagalog: bayan (tl), syudad
Tajik: шаҳр (tg) (šahr), қасаба (qasaba)
Tamil: நகரம் (ta) (nakaram)
Taos: plòsoʼóna
Tashelhit: ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵔⵜ sg or f (tamazirt)
Tatar: шәһәр (tt) (şähär), кала (tt) (qala)
Telugu: పట్టణము (te) (paṭṭaṇamu), పట్నము (te) (paṭnamu)
Tetum: sidade, vila
Thai: เมือง (th) (mʉʉang), พารา (th) (paa-raa), นคร (th) (ná-kɔɔn), เชียง (th) (chiiang)
Tibetan: གྲོང་གསེབ (grong gseb), གྲོང་སྡེ (grong sde), གྲོང་རྡལ (grong rdal)
Tigrinya: ከተማ (kätäma)
Tongan: kolo
Tumbuka: tawuni
Turkish: ilçe (tr), kasaba (tr), şehir (tr), bucak (tr)
Turkmen: şäher
Tuvan: хоорай (xooray)
Tzotzil: teklum, teklumal
Udmurt: кар (kar)
Ugaritic: 𐎓𐎗 (ʿr), 𐎎𐎄𐎐𐎚 (mdnt)
Ukrainian: мі́сто (uk) n (místo), місте́чко (uk) n (mistéčko)
Urdu: شَہَر m (śahar), نَگَر m (nagar)
Uyghur: شەھەر (sheher)
Uzbek: shahar (uz)
Vietnamese: tỉnh (vi), thành phố (vi) (城埔), thị trấn (vi) (市鎮)
Volapük: zif (vo)
Waray-Waray: bungto
Welsh: tref (cy) f
West Frisian: stêd (fy) c
Yakut: куорат (kuorat)
Yiddish: שטעטל n (shtetl), שטאָט f (shtot)
Yoruba: ìlú
Yucatec Maya: kaah
Zhuang: cinq :

### See also

* suburban
* rural
* urban

### Anagrams

* nowt, wo'n't, won't, wont

## Middle English
### Noun

town
* Alternative form of toun