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township

[ toun-ship ]
/ ˈtaʊn ʃɪp /
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noun
a unit of local government, usually a subdivision of a county, found in most midwestern and northeastern states of the U.S. and in most Canadian provinces.
(in U.S. surveys of public land) a region or district approximately 6 miles square (93.2 sq. km), containing 36 sections.
English History.
  1. one of the local divisions or districts of a large parish, each containing a village or small town, usually with a church of its own.
  2. the manor, parish, etc., itself.
  3. its inhabitants.
(in Australia)
  1. a small town or settlement serving as the business center of a rural area.
  2. the business center of a town or suburb.
(formerly, in South Africa) a segregated residential settlement for Black people, located outside a city or town.
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Origin of township

First recorded before 900; Middle English tounship “community,” Old English tūnscipe “village community”; see origin at town, -ship
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use township in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for township

township
/ (ˈtaʊnʃɪp) /

noun
a small town
(in the Scottish Highlands and islands) a small crofting community
(in the US and Canada) a territorial area, esp a subdivision of a county: often organized as a unit of local government
(formerly, in South Africa) a planned urban settlement of Black Africans or Coloured peopleCompare location (def. 4)
English history
  1. any of the local districts of a large parish, each division containing a village or small town
  2. the particular manor or parish itself as a territorial division
  3. the inhabitants of a township collectively
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
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