/ ˈtaʊnʃɪp; NAmE / noun
1.
(in South Africa in the past) a town or part of a town that black people had to live in, and where only black people lived
2.
(in the US or Canada) a division of a county that is a unit of local government
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English tūnscipe the inhabitants of a village (see town , -ship ).