Types of Cities: -POLIS

A good city is like a good party. People don't want to leave early.

Saturdays are perfect days for urban surprises. Surprise—we’re talking about the root -POLIS and types of cities!

The story of civilization is written in its cities, from the smallest settlement to the most colossal conurbation. The suffix -POLIS meaning city derives from POLIT- meaning city, state, or citizen in words like police or politico. This root looms large in discussions of geography (Annapolis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis) and history (Heliopolis, Persepolis).

Can you name the 10 Largest Cities in the World by Population?

What are some important -POLIS words?

acropolis (noun) - a citadel or fortified part of a city build on a hill or high ground
BREAKDOWN: ACRO- (hill) + POLIS- (city)

cosmopolis (noun) - a city, often internationally important, inhabited by people from many different countries (see cosmopolitan)
BREAKDOWN: COSMO- (world) + POLIS- (city)

chronopolis (noun) - a fictional city or place associated with manipulating or controlling time
BREAKDOWN: CHRONO- (time) + POLIS- (city)

metropolis (noun) - a very large and densely populated city, typically the busiest and most important in a country or region
BREAKDOWN: METRO- (mother) + POLIS- (city)

megalopolis (noun) - an interlinked cluster of several large cities forming a continuous, densely populated area
BREAKDOWN: MEGALO- (great) + POLIS- (city)

necropolis (noun) - a large, ancient, and often elaborate cemetery; a “city of the dead”
BREAKDOWN: NECRO- (dead) + POLIS- (city)

“Great cities are not static, they constantly change and take the world along with them.” —Edward Glaeser