municipal

[myoo-nis-uh-puhl]

adjective

1. of or relating to a town or city or its local government.

   municipal elections.

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

noun

1. a municipal bond.

municipal

/ mjuːˈnɪsɪpəl /

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• municipalism noun
• municipally adverb
• municipalist noun
• intermunicipal adjective
• nonmunicipal adjective
• nonmunicipally adverb
• premunicipal adjective
• quasi-municipal adjective
• quasi-municipally adverb
• supermunicipal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of municipal¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin mūnicipālis, from mūnicip-, stem of mūniceps “citizen of a free town” (from mūni(a) “duties” + -ceps, combining form of capere “to take”; prince ) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of municipal¹

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

Example Sentences

Inside the centers—often large tents near traffic roundabouts, or rooms inside municipal buildings—there are beds to sleep on and toys for children to play with.

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Meredith Whitney famously predicted municipal bond defaults totaling “hundreds of billions of dollars” on the show in 2010, which never happened.

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Because of its relatively shallow depth of 6.2 miles, the quake’s tremors set off multiple landslides, ripped open road surfaces and caused heavy damage to century-old churches and municipal and commercial buildings.

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First responders and municipal officials in Gaza reported explosions Saturday.

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Many municipal leaders—mayors and governors—talk about the challenging cost of immigrants to their communities.

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