n.
Pronunciation: m ə - ' trä-p( ə -)l ə s
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin, from Greek m ē tropolis, from m ē tr-, m ē t ē r mother + polis city ― more at MOTHER , POLICE
Date: 14th century
1 : the chief or capital city of a country, state, or region
2 : the city or state of origin of a colony (as of ancient Greece)
3 a : a city regarded as a center of a specified activity <a great business metropolis > b : a large important city <the world's great metropolis es ― P. E. James>