bidonville

American  

[bee-dawn-veel] / bi dɔ̃ˈvil /

noun

plural

bidonvilles

1. (especially in France and North Africa) an impoverished shantytown on the outskirts of a city.

---

Etymology

Origin of bidonville

First 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

Example Sentences

By Tim Padgett / Port-au-Prince Backhoes and other rubble-removal equipment can't climb the steep hills and narrow streets of the bidonville, or slum, known as Carrefour-Feuilles in Port-au-Prince.

From Time • Mar. 1, 2010

The venture is an economic engine for the bidonville and a sustainable one as well, since it provides an alternative to the traditional charcoal fuel that has contributed to Haiti's vast deforestation.

From Time • Mar. 1, 2010