municipal

[ myoo-nis-uh-puh l ]

/ myuˈnɪs ə pəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR municipal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to a town or city or its local government: municipal elections.

Archaic. pertaining to the internal affairs of a state or nation rather than to international affairs.

noun

a municipal bond.

Nearby words

muni, muni bond fund, munic., munich, munich pact, municipal, municipal bond, municipal bond fund, municipal bonds, municipal corporation, municipal court

Origin of municipal

1530–40; < Latin mūnicipālis, equivalent to mūnicip- (stem of mūniceps) citizen of a free town (mūni(a) duties + -cip-, combining form of capere to take) + -ālis -al¹

Related forms

mu·nic·i·pal·ly, adverbin·ter·mu·nic·i·pal, adjectivenon·mu·nic·i·pal, adjectivenon·mu·nic·i·pal·ly, adverb

pre·mu·nic·i·pal, adjectivequa·si-mu·nic·i·pal, adjectivequa·si-mu·nic·i·pal·ly, adverbsu·per·mu·nic·i·pal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for municipal

Last year, Takoma Park in Maryland took a similar step when it allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal elections.
Paying Taxes and Going to Jail Like Adults; Teens Deserve the Right to Vote, Too|Jillian Keenan|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Criminal justice is quintessentially a local matter; policing, judging, and operating local jails are municipal endeavors.
Prosecuting Officer Wilson Won't Bring Justice to Ferguson|Candace McCoy|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Earlier this month, Toledo, Ohio, watched its municipal water supply descend into an undrinkable stew of algal toxins.
Are Water Filters B.S.?|Michael Schulson|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But municipal workers are still to be seen tending flowerbeds.
As the Key Battle Looms, a Report from Ukraine's Front Lines|Jamie Dettmer|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Devouassox was apparently fired last June from the Menthon-Saint-Bernard police station where he worked as a municipal cop.
Breakthrough In Alps Family Murder Case|Barbie Latza Nadeau|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These are often charitable and public-spirited, and active in municipal rather than in parliamentary life.
The Long White Cloud|William Pember Reeves
Here our leading punter was a cheery, friendly miller—like the host of the hotel at St. nimie, a municipal councillor.
The Roof of France|Matilda Betham-Edwards
In this tendency to municipal extravagance he saw one of the gravest menaces to property.
Historical and Political Essays|William Edward Hartpole Lecky
During the last sixteen years of his life (338-322) he rendered services to Athens not less important, and Municipal activity.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2|Various
The municipal employees had refused to strike, and only by force would the city go dark that night.
A Poor Wise Man|Mary Roberts Rinehart

British Dictionary definitions for municipal

municipal

/ (mjuːˈnɪsɪpəl) /

adjective

of or relating to a town, city, or borough or its local government

Derived Forms

municipalism, nounmunicipalist, nounmunicipally, adverb

Word Origin for municipal

C16: from Latin mūnicipium a free town, from mūniceps citizen from mūnia responsibilities + capere to take

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