ˈvilij, -lēj noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Old French, from ville, vile farm, village (from Latin villa country house, country estate, village) + -age
1.
a. : a unit of compact settlement varying in size but usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town and distinguished from surrounding rural territory : a small cluster of houses and other buildings (as stores and churches) forming a unit distinct from a surrounding rural area
b.
(1) : one incorporated and given definite boundaries and powers by law : a minor municipality
the distinction between cities and villages is not one of size and population, but rather one of powers — F.A.Ogg & P.O.Ray
(2) : an incorporated municipal unit in some states (as New York) having a separate status and some independent powers although still constituting part of the parent town
a thickly settled area in a town, faced with some problems of living close together, may be incorporated into a village — Our State & Local Gov't of New York
(3) : an incorporated municipal unit in a Canadian province varying in population but usually smaller than a town
c. : a unit of settlement having or held to have the status of a village but differing from the traditional village in some important respect: as
(1) : one having a large population
Spanish agricultural villages of 10,000 or more inhabitants
(2) : one constituting a unit in a predominantly urban rather than rural territory
2.
a. : the citizens or inhabitants of a village
the entire village turned out to welcome him
b. : the qualified voters of a village
the village elects a council of five members
c. : the governing officials of a village acting on behalf of the village as a corporation or of the whole body of inhabitants
the village purchased land for a new school
3. : something (as an aggregation of burrows) resembling or suggesting a village
a prairie dog village
4.
a. : a territorial area having the status of a village especially as a unit of local government
paved streets in the village but not in the rest of the town
b. : a section or district of a larger municipality (as a city) having characteristics that set it apart as an individual unit resembling a village
Greenwich Village in New York
5. : a relatively small group of people organized chiefly in families that constitutes a distinct social unit and usually forms a community
6. : any of various groups of residential and related buildings ; specifically : an institution (as for children requiring special care) providing residence in small groups occupying separate cottages