metic

American  

[met-ik] / ˈmɛt ɪk /

noun

1. an alien resident of an ancient Greek city who paid a tax for the right to live there.

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metic British  

/ ˈmɛtɪk /

noun

1. (in ancient Greece) an alien having some rights of citizenship in the city in which he lives

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Etymology

Origin of metic

1800–10; < Late Latin metycus, variant of metoecus < Greek métoikos emigrant, equivalent to met- met- + -oikos dwelling

Example Sentences

Being an arith­metic mean, it gives disproportionate significance to a few very highly cited papers, and it falsely implies that papers with only a few citations are relatively unimportant.

From Nature

In the classical period four-fifths of the population of Attica were slaves and of the remainder half were metics.

From Project Gutenberg

Thucydides tells us that a garrison of 16,000 inferior soldiers, old men, boys, and metics, sufficed to do this work.

From Project Gutenberg

Thither resorted metics or resident foreigners, and much of the trade of Athens was in their hands, since they were less frequently employed in foreign service.

From Project Gutenberg

The metics could take no part in the government, could not marry a citizen, nor acquire land.

From Project Gutenberg