Cit"y , a. 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.
Cit"y (s&ibreve;t"&ybreve;), n.;
pl. Cities (-&ibreve;z). [OE.
cite, F. cité, fr. L. civitas
citizenship, state, city, fr. civis citizen;
akin to Goth. heiwa (in
heiwafrauja man of the house), AS. hīwan, pl., members of a family, servants, hīred family, G. heirath marriage, prop., providing a house, E. hind a peasant.]
1. A large town.
2. 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.
Syn. -- See Village.
Hear it pronounced