villa

¹

[vil-uh]

noun

1. a country residence or estate.

2. any imposing or pretentious residence, especially one in the country or suburbs maintained as a retreat by a wealthy person.

3. British.,  a detached or semidetached dwelling house, usually suburban.

Villa

²

[vee-uh, vee-yah]

noun

1. Francisco Doroteo ArangoPancho Villa, 1877–1923, Mexican general and revolutionist.

villa

¹

/ ˈvɪlə /

noun

1. (in ancient Rome) a country house, usually consisting of farm buildings and residential quarters around a courtyard

2. a large and usually luxurious country residence

3. a detached or semidetached suburban house

4. a medium-sized suburban house standing in its own grounds

Villa

²

/ ˈviːə, ˈbiʎa /

noun

1. Francisco (franˈsisko), called Pancho Villa, original name Doroteo Arango. ?1877–1923, Mexican revolutionary leader

Other Word Forms

• villalike adjective
• villa-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of villa¹

1605–15; (< Italian ) < Latin vīlla a country house, farm, akin to vīcus village, wick ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of villa¹

C17: via Italian from Latin; related to Latin vīcus a village

Example Sentences

One of the affected neighborhoods is Jabriyat, a wealthy area overlooking the camp that has the feel of a ghost town, where villas bear the dusty patina of abandonment.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It is slated to include a five-star hotel, residential villas and 54 holes of golf, covering an area as big as Newark Liberty International Airport.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

If we sell it, we can invest the money and probably rent another small house or a villa or condo on the beach.

Read more on MarketWatch

After living in a Spanish villa in Hollywood with her ex-husband, “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner, and their four children, Brettler says she wanted something different.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“They want the villa. They want the yacht.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal