Town

In American English, a town is usually a municipal corporation that is smaller than a city but larger than a village. In some cases, "town" is an alternate name for "city" or "village" (especially a larger village). Sometimes, the word "town" is short for "township."

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In short, there is no universal, standard definition of the word. This is mostly due to the evolution of the English language as an amalgamation of words from many other languages. "City" and "village" came into English from Latin via French. "Town" and "borough" (also "burrow," "burgh," "bury," etc.) are native English and Scottish words.

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In Old English and Old Scots, "Town" (or "toun," "ton," etc.) originally meant a fortified municipality, whereas a borough was not fortified. But that distinction did not last long, and "Edina Burgh" or "Edinburgh" - modernly called a "city" - was a fortified "town" from its foundung.

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For example, in California (where the term "village" is not used), "town" is simply another word for "city" (especially a "general law city", as distinct from a "charter city"). In New York, "town" is essentially short for "township." Across the pond in England, the only difference between a "city" and a "town" is usually (though not always) the fact that a city has a cathedral church whereas a town has an ordinary church. Thus, within Greater London, there are two cities, each with its own cathedral - the City of London (St. Paul's Cathedral; Anglican) and the City of Westminster (Westminster Cathedral; Roman Catholic - but Westminster Abbey is Anglican); while Camden, which has an ordinary parish church, is Camden Town as opposed to Camden City.

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American English: American English (AmE) is the form of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. It is the primary language used in the United States. As of 2005, more than two-thirds of native speakers of English use various forms of American English. American English is also sometimes calle...

City: :For alternate meanings see city (disambiguation)...

Village: :For a list of references which "The Village" could refer to, see The Village...

Town related Images and Photos (experimental)

Town, The (WS)(DVD)	Town IV	Town IV	Town, The (Blu-ray)
O Town	Town & Country (DVD)	My Town	Boys Town (DVD)
The Town	The Town	Old town	Old Town