village
VIL-ij
/ˈvɪlɪdʒ/
A group of houses and associated buildings, larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town, situated in a rural area.
Implies a sense of community and a specific, localized settlement.
The story behind the word. The word 'village' traces back to the Latin 'villa', which originally meant a country house or farmstead. Over time, as more houses were built around these central farms, the term evolved to describe the entire community.
Word relationships
- settlement: A general term for any place where people live.
- hamlet: A settlement that is even smaller than a village, often without a church.
- city: A large and densely populated urban area.
- town: An urban area larger than a village but smaller than a city.
Commonly confused with
- hamlet: A village usually has a church or a central square, whereas a hamlet is just a few houses.
Word family
- villager (noun): A person who lives in a village.
Collocations
- small village
- remote village
- fishing village
- village green
Idioms & expressions
- it takes a village to raise a child
Example sentences
- "The village was a cluster of small houses nestled in the valley, centered around an old stone church." Describing a small community.
- "He grew up in a small fishing village on the coast of Maine." Describing a childhood home.
Memory hook
A 'villa' for the 'age'd and peaceful. A small cluster of villas.
When not to use
Do not use for a very large settlement (town or city) or a single isolated house.
Fun facts
- The oldest continuously inhabited village in the world is often cited as Tell Abu Hureyra in Syria.
- In England, a village traditionally had to have a church to be called a village.
Related words
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