Original: The word originates from the ancient Greek city-states , which developed during the Archaic period , the ancestor of city , state and citizenship , and persisted ( though with decreasing influence ) well into Roman times , when the equivalent Latin word was civitas , also meaning ` citizenhood ' , while municipium applied to a non-sovereign local entity .
Simplified: The word originates from the ancient Greek city-states , which developed during the Archaic period and existed well into Roman times , when the equivalent Latin word was civitas , that means ` citizenhood ' as well .