hôtel de ville

American  

[oh-tel duh veel] / oʊˈtɛl də ˈvil /

noun

French.

hôtels de ville plural

1. a city hall.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hôtels de ville
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hôtel de ville

Literally, “mansion of the city”

Example Sentences

The headquarters building was the hôtel de ville, a large eighteenth-century edifice, in an acre of trampled mud a little distance from the street.

From A Volunteer Poilu by Beston, Henry

S. of Ghent, scene of Marlborough's third victory over the French in 1708; it contains a 16th-century hôtel de ville, with a fine tower, and some interesting churches.

From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by Nuttall, P. Austin

The hôtel de ville, or mansion-house, immediately became a sort of civic temple, where the banner of the Commune, the emblems of unity, and the seal which sanctioned the municipal acts were preserved.

From Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by Jacob, P. L.

The hôtel de ville, also by Abadie, is a handsome modern structure, but preserves two towers of the chateau of the counts of Angoulême, on the site of which it is built.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1 by Various

All the bells in the town, Saint-Martin, Saint-Laurent, the hôtel de ville.

From A Volunteer Poilu by Beston, Henry