Word: town Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *duh₂-nós? Proto-Celtic *dūnombor. Proto-Germanic *tūną Proto-West Germanic *tūn Old English tūn Middle English toun English town Inherited from Middle English toun, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic *tūn, from Proto-Germanic *tūną, borrowed from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“stronghold, rampart”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *duh₂-nós (“lasting, durable”), from *dewh₂- (“to last”) + *-nós. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tuun (“garden”), West Frisian tún (“enclosure, garden”), Dutch tuin (“garden”), German Low German Tuun (“fence”), German Zaun (“fence”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian tun (“yard”); also archaic Welsh din (“hill”), Irish dún (“fortress”). Doublet of dun. See also -ton and tine (“to enclose”). Pronunciation: /ˈtaʊ̯n/, [ˈtʰaʊ̯n], /ˈtæʊ̯n/, [ˈtʰæʊ̯n], /ˈtaːn/ 1. 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) Labels: countable, uncountable Example: This town is really dangerous because these youngsters have Beretta handguns. Example: 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. 2. Any more urbanized centre than the place of reference. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I'll be in Yonkers, then I'm driving into town to see the Knicks at the Garden tonight. Example: 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. 3. A rural settlement in which a market was held at least once a week. Labels: UK, countable, historical, uncountable 4. The residents (as opposed to gown: the students, faculty, etc.) of a community which is the site of a university. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. Used to refer to a town or similar entity under discussion. Labels: colloquial, countable, uncountable Example: Call me when you get to town. Example: They put up "lost dog" posters all over town. 6. A major city, especially one where the speaker is located. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: There's always a business theme, even underlying happy hours. You're never off the clock in this town. 7. A townhouse. Labels: countable, informal, uncountable Example: Detached houses always sell faster than towns or semis. Example: 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. 8. A municipal organization, such as a corporation, defined by the laws of the entity of which it is a part. Labels: countable, uncountable 9. 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. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable 10. A farm or farmstead; also, a court or farmyard. Labels: Scotland, UK, countable, dialectal, obsolete, uncountable