bidonville
[ French bee-dawn-veel ]
noun,plural bi·don·villes [French bee-dawn-veel]. /French bi dɔ̃ˈvil/.
(especially in France and North Africa) an impoverished shantytown on the outskirts of a city.
Origin of bidonville
1First recorded in 1950–55; from French, equivalent to bidon “metal drum, can (for oil, etc.)” (earlier, “five-pint wooden jug”; of uncertain origin) + -ville, combining form, in placenames, of ville “city,” from Latin vīlla villa; metal cans are often used as building materials in such towns
Words Nearby bidonville
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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