conurbation

[ kon-er-bey-shuhn ]

noun

1. an extensive urban area resulting from the expansion of several cities or towns so that they coalesce but usually retain their separate identities.

conurbation

/ ˌkɒnɜːˈbeɪʃən /

noun

1. a large densely populated urban sprawl formed by the growth and coalescence of individual towns or cities

Word History and Origins

Origin of conurbation¹

con- + Latin urb- (stem of urbs ) “city, capital city, Rome” + -ation; coined by Sir Patrick Geddes (1854–1932), Scottish sociologist and city planner, in his Cities in Evolution (1915)

Word History and Origins

Origin of conurbation¹

C20: from con- + -urbation, from Latin urbs city; see urban

Related Words

• capital
• center
• downtown
• metropolis
• municipality
• place
• port