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1828.mshaffer.com › Word [town]
TOWN, n. 1. Originally, a walled or fortified place; a collection of houses inclosed with walls, hedges or pickets for safety. Rahab's house was on the town wall. Josh. 2. A town that hath gates and bars. 1 Sam. 23.2. Any collection of houses, larger than a village. In this use the word is very indefinite, and a town may consist of twenty houses, or of twenty thousand.3. In England, any number of houses to which belongs a regular market, and which is not a city or the see of a bishop.A town, in modern times, is generally without walls, which is the circumstance that usually distinguishes it from a city.In the United States, the circumstance that distinguishes a town from a city, is generally that a city is incorporated with special privileges, and a town is not. But a city is often called a town.4. The inhabitants of a town. The town voted to send two representatives to the legislature, or they voted to lay a tax for repairing the highways.5. In popular usage, in America, a township; the whole territory within certain limits.6. In England,the court end of London.7. The inhabitants of the metropolis.8. The metropolis. The gentleman lives in town in winter; in summer he lives in the country. The same form of expression is used in regard to other populous towns.
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Evolution (or devolution) of this word [town]
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TOWN, n. 1. Originally, a walled or fortified place; a collection of houses inclosed with walls, hedges or pickets for safety. Rahab's house was on the town wall. Josh. 2. A town that hath gates and bars. 1 Sam. 23.2. Any collection of houses, larger than a village. In this use the word is very indefinite, and a town may consist of twenty houses, or of twenty thousand.3. In England, any number of houses to which belongs a regular market, and which is not a city or the see of a bishop.A town, in modern times, is generally without walls, which is the circumstance that usually distinguishes it from a city.In the United States, the circumstance that distinguishes a town from a city, is generally that a city is incorporated with special privileges, and a town is not. But a city is often called a town.4. The inhabitants of a town. The town voted to send two representatives to the legislature, or they voted to lay a tax for repairing the highways.5. In popular usage, in America, a township; the whole territory within certain limits.6. In England,the court end of London.7. The inhabitants of the metropolis.8. The metropolis. The gentleman lives in town in winter; in summer he lives in the country. The same form of expression is used in regard to other populous towns. |
TOWN, n. [Sax. tun; W. din, dinas, a fortified hill, a fort; Gaelic, dun; Sax. dun, dune, a hill, whence downs. The Sax. tun signifies an inclosure, a garden, a village, a town, and tynan is to shut, to make fast; G. zaun, a hedge; D. tun, a garden. If the original word signified a hill, the sense is a mass or collection. But probably the original word signified fortified, and the rude fortifications of uncivilized men were formed with hedges and stakes; hence also a garden. See Garden and Tun. Sax. leactune, a garden, that is, leek-town, an inclosure for leeks, that is plants. This shows that the primary sense of town is an inclosure for defense.]- Originally, a walled or fortified place; a collection of houses inclosed with walls, hedges, or pickets for safety. Rahab's house was on the town wall. Josh. ii.
A town that hath gates and bars. 1 Sam. xxiii.
- Any collection of houses, larger than a village. In this use the word is very indefinite, and a town may consist of twenty houses, or of twenty thousand.
- In England, any number of houses to which belongs a regular market, and which is not a city or the see of a bishop. Johnson.
A town, in modern times, is generally without walls, which is the circumstance that usually distinguishes it from a city. Cyc.
In the United States, the circumstance that distinguishes a town from a city, is, generally, that a city is incorporated with special privileges, and a town is not. But a city is often called a town.
- The inhabitants of a town. The town voted to send two representatives to the legislature, or they voted to lay a tax for repairing the highways. New England. Chapman.
- In popular usage, in America, a township; the whole territory within certain limits.
- In England, the court end of London. Pope.
- The inhabitants of the metropolis. Pope.
- The metropolis. The gentleman lives in town in winter; in summer he lives in the country. The same form of expression is used in regard to other populous towns.
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Town
- Formerly:
(a) An inclosure which surrounded the mere homestead or
dwelling of the lord of the manor. [Obs.] (b) The whole of
the land which constituted the domain. [Obs.] (c) A
collection of houses inclosed by fences or walls.
- Any number or collection of houses to which
belongs a regular market, and which is not a city or the see of a
bishop.
- Any collection of houses larger than a village,
and not incorporated as a city] also, loosely, any large, closely populated
place, whether incorporated or not, in distinction from the country, or
from rural communities.
- The body of inhabitants resident in a town; as,
the town voted to send two representatives to the legislature; the
town voted to lay a tax for repairing the highways.
- A township; the whole territory within certain
limits, less than those of a country.
- The court end of London;-- commonly with
the.
- The metropolis or its inhabitants; as, in winter
the gentleman lives in town; in summer, in the country.
- A farm or farmstead; also, a court or
farmyard.
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Town TOWN, noun 1. Originally, a walled or fortified place; a collection of houses inclosed with walls, hedges or pickets for safety. Rahab's house was on the town wall. Joshua 2:15. A town that hath gates and bars. 1 Samuel 23:7. 2. Any collection of houses, larger than a village. In this use the word is very indefinite, and a town may consist of twenty houses, or of twenty thousand. 3. In England, any number of houses to which belongs a regular market, and which is not a city or the see of a bishop. A town in modern times, is generally without walls, which is the circumstance that usually distinguishes it from a city. In the United States, the circumstance that distinguishes a town from a city, is generally that a city is incorporated with special privileges, and a town is not. But a city is often called a town 4. The inhabitants of a town The town voted to send two representatives to the legislature, or they voted to lay a tax for repairing the highways. 5. In popular usage, in America, a township; the whole territory within certain limits. 6. In England, the court end of London. 7. The inhabitants of the metropolis. 8. The metropolis. The gentleman lives in town in winter; in summer he lives in the country. The same form of expression is used in regard to other populous towns. TOWN'-CLERK, noun [town and clerk.] An officer who keeps the records of a town and enters all its official proceedings. |
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* As a note, I have purchased each of these products. In fact, as we have been developing the Project:: 1828 Reprint, I have purchased several of the bulky hard-cover dictionaries. My opinion is that the 2000-page hard-cover edition is the only good viable solution at this time. The compact edition was a bit disappointing and the CD-ROM as well. |
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