brussels
n. uncountablen. the capital city of Belgium and a major center for European politics. People often use this name to talk about the government of the European Union.
n. the capital city of Belgium and the administrative center of the European Union. Frequently used as a metonym for the EU's executive and legislative branches.
We are taking a train to Brussels tomorrow morning.
Many international organizations have their headquarters in Brussels because of its central location in Europe.
Political commentators often use the city's name to refer to the European Commission, as in the phrase 'Brussels has issued a new directive on environmental standards'.
Etymology tree Dutch Brusselbor. English Brussels Borrowed from Dutch Brussel. The metonymic meaning of Brussels as the European Union stems from the fact that the EU headquarters is based in Brussels.
As a proper noun, it is always capitalized. When used metonymically to refer to the EU government, it functions as a singular collective noun.