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megalopolis

[meg-uh-lop-uh-lis]
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noun
  1. a very large city.
  2. an urban region, especially one consisting of several large cities and suburbs that adjoin each other.
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Also megapolis.

Origin of megalopolis

First recorded in 1825–35; megalo- + polis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for megalopolis

megalopolis

noun
  1. an urban complex, usually comprising several large towns
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Derived Formsmegalopolitan (ˌmɛɡələˈpɒlɪtən), adjective, noun

Word Origin

C20: megalo- + Greek polis city
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for megalopolis

n.

1832, from comb. form of Greek megas (genitive megalou) "great" (see mickle) + polis "city" (see polis). The word was used in classical times as an epithet of great cities (Athens, Syracuse, Alexandria), and it also was the name of a former city in Arcadia.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
megalopolis in Culture

megalopolis

[(meg-uh-lop-uh-lis)]

A vast stretch of developed industrial urban area, such as the East Coast of the United States from Boston to Washington, D.C., or the Ruhr Valley in Germany. Megalopolis is from Greek words meaning “great city.”

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.