■ adjective
1》 relating to or denoting a metropolis.
2》 relating to or denoting the parent state of a colony.
3》 Christian Church relating to or denoting a ~ or his see.
■ noun
1》 an inhabitant of a metropolis.
2》 Christian Church a bishop having authority over the bishops of a province, in particular (in Orthodox Churches) one ranking above archbishop and below patriarch.
Origin
ME (in the eccles. sense): from late L. ~us , from Gk mētropolitēs 'citizen of a mother state', from mētropolis (see metropolis ).