township

[ toun-ship ]

noun

1. 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.
2. (in U.S. surveys of public land) a region or district approximately 6 miles square (93.2 sq. km), containing 36 sections.
3. 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.
4. (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.
5. (formerly, in South Africa) a segregated residential settlement for Black people, located outside a city or town.

township

/ ˈtaʊnʃɪp /

noun

1. a small town
2. (in the Scottish Highlands and islands) a small crofting community
3. (in the US and Canada) a territorial area, esp a subdivision of a county: often organized as a unit of local government
4. (formerly, in South Africa) a planned urban settlement of Black Africans or Coloured people Compare location
5. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of township¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English tounship “community,” Old English tūnscipe “village community”; town, -ship

Example Sentences

At dawn, the three young men hitched a ride from a truck driver and made it to Aung Ban, a township in the southern Shan state.

From BBC

He met children from the Ocean View, Masiphumelele and Langa townships, many of whom have challenging home lives - rugby is used to support them as well as unite communities and mentor schoolchildren.

From BBC

Ms Adestahina has previously said she was born in the South African township of Soweto.

From BBC

In interviews Ms Adetshina said she was born in Soweto - the South African township next to Johannesburg - and grew up in Cape Town.

From BBC

Then in late June, police in Chiapas discovered the bullet-riddled bodies of 19 men in and around an abandoned dump truck on a dirt road in the township of La Concordia.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• area
• colony
• country
• district
• enclave
• field
• land
• nation
• neighborhood
• province
• sector
• state
• street
• terrain
• zone