Hypertext Webster Gateway: "City"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
City
The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which
was built by Cain (Gen. 4:17). After the confusion of tongues,
the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).
Next, we have a record of the cities of the Canaanites, Sidon,
Gaza, Sodom, etc. (10:12, 19; 11:3, 9; 36:31-39). The earliest
description of a city is that of Sodom (19:1-22). Damascus is
said to be the oldest existing city in the world. Before the
time of Abraham there were cities in Egypt (Num. 13:22). The
Israelites in Egypt were employed in building the "treasure
cities" of Pithom and Raamses (Ex. 1:11); but it does not seem
that they had any cities of their own in Goshen (Gen. 46:34;
47:1-11). In the kingdom of Og in Bashan there were sixty "great
cities with walls," and twenty-three cities in Gilead partly
rebuilt by the tribes on the east of Jordan (Num. 21:21, 32, 33,
35; 32:1-3, 34-42; Deut. 3:4, 5, 14; 1 Kings 4:13). On the west
of Jordan were thirty-one "royal cities" (Josh. 12), besides
many others spoken of in the history of Israel.
A fenced city was a city surrounded by fortifications and high
walls, with watch-towers upon them (2 Chr. 11:11; Deut. 3:5).
There was also within the city generally a tower to which the
citizens might flee when danger threatened them (Judg. 9:46-52).
A city with suburbs was a city surrounded with open
pasture-grounds, such as the forty-eight cities which were given
to the Levites (Num. 35:2-7). There were six cities of refuge,
three on each side of Jordan, namely, Kadesh, Shechem, Hebron,
on the west of Jordan; and on the east, Bezer, Ramoth-gilead,
and Golan. The cities on each side of the river were nearly
opposite each other. The regulations concerning these cities are
given in Num. 35:9-34; Deut. 19:1-13; Ex. 21:12-14.
When David reduced the fortress of the Jebusites which stood
on Mount Zion, he built on the site of it a palace and a city,
which he called by his own name (1 Chr. 11:5), the city of
David. Bethlehem is also so called as being David's native town
(Luke 2:4).
Jerusalem is called the Holy City, the holiness of the temple
being regarded as extending in some measure over the whole city
(Neh. 11:1).
Pithom and Raamses, built by the Israelites as "treasure
cities," were not places where royal treasures were kept, but
were fortified towns where merchants might store their goods and
transact their business in safety, or cities in which munitions
of war were stored. (See {PITHOM}.)
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
City \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.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
City \Cit"y\, n.; pl. {Cities}. [OE. cite, F. cit?, fr. L.
civitas citizenship, state, city, fr. civis citizen; akin to
Goth. heiwa (in heiwafrauja man of the house), AS. ?, pl.,
members of a family, servants, ? 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}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
city
n 1: a large and densely populated urban area; may include
several independent administrative districts; "Ancient
Troy was a great city" [syn: {metropolis}, {urban center}]
2: an incorporated administrative district established by state
charter; "the city raised the tax rate"
3: people living in a large densely populated municipality;
"the city voted for Republicans in 1994" [syn: {metropolis}]
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