[ 'mɛtrəpəʊl ]
■ noun the parent state of a colony.
Origin
C15: from OFr. ~ , based on Gk mētēr , mētr- + polis (see metropolis ).
METROPOLE
Meaning of METROPOLE in English
Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004