What does "city" mean?
City: A corporate town; in the United States, a town or collective body of inhabitants, incorporated and governed by a mayor and aldermen or a city council consisting of a board of aldermen and a common council; in Great Britain, a town corporate, which is or has been the seat of a bishop, or the capital of his see. A city is a town incorporated; which is, or has been, the see of a bishop; and though the bishopric has been dissolved, as at Westminster, it yet remaineth a city. Blackstone When Gorges constituted York a city, he of course meant it to be the seat of a bishop, for the word city has no other meaning in English law. Palfrey 3. The collective body of citizens, or inhabitants of a city. "What is the city but the people" Shak.
Additional senses
- 2.Of or pertaining to a city. Shak. City council. See under Council. -- City court, The municipal court of a city. [U. S.] -- City ward, a watchman, or the collective watchmen, of a city. [Obs.] Fairfax.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00