Cosmopolis

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cosmopolis

Editor's note: Most definitions of cosmopolis refer to what is effectively a large metropolis, and though there may be a handful of 'great' cities in this world, none even remotely qualify as a 'universe city'. Nevertheless, this does not preclude cultivating an appreciation for the history of this idea that is served well by Stephen Toulmin's book, Cosmopolis: The Hidden Agenda of Modernity ISBN 0226808386

Merriam-Webster

cos·mop·o·lis

Pronunciation

\käz-ˈmä-pə-ləs\

Function

noun

Etymology

New Latin, back-formation from cosmopolites

Date

1849

Definition

a cosmopolitan city

cosmopolitan

Function

adjective

Date

1798

Definition

  1. having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing
  2. having wide international sophistication : worldly 3 : composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world 4 : found in most parts of the world and under varied ecological conditions <a cosmopolitan herb>

compare: metropolitan

Function

adjective

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin metropolitanus of the see of a metropolitan, from metropolita, noun, metropolitan, from Late Greek mētropolitēs, from mētropolis see of a metropolitan, from Greek, capital

Date

15th century

Definition

  1. of or constituting a metropolitan or his see
  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of a metropolis and sometimes including its suburbs
  3. of, relating to, or constituting a mother country as distinguished from a colony