town
UK: taʊn | US: taʊn
n. a populated area smaller than a city and larger than a village, typically with local governance and commercial infrastructure.
n. (historical) a fortified settlement or enclosed space in medieval Europe.
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The word "town" traces back to Old English tūn, meaning an enclosed space, homestead, or estate. This term evolved from Proto-Germanic tūną (fence, enclosure), reflecting early settlements as fenced or walled areas for protection. Over time, tūn expanded semantically to denote larger inhabited places, distinguishing them from rural villages. The modern sense of "town" as a mid-sized urban center emerged by the Middle English period, retaining its core idea of a defined, communal space.
She grew up in a small coastal town.
The town council approved the new park construction.
Medieval towns often had walls for defense.
They drove to the nearest town for groceries.
The town's population has doubled in the last decade.