hamlet
n. countablen. a very small village, usually one that does not have its own church or local government. It is smaller than a regular village.
n. a small human settlement, specifically one smaller than a village and historically lacking its own parish church.
They live in a tiny hamlet in the mountains.
The hiking trail passes through several quiet hamlets where residents still farm the surrounding land.
While the nearby town grew into a bustling commercial hub, the isolated hamlet remained unchanged for centuries, preserved by its lack of modern infrastructure.
From Latin Amlethus, as written by 13th-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, and borrowed into English by way of François de Belleforest's French Hamlet, originally rendered as Hamblet in English. Ultimately from Old Danish Amlethæ, corresponding to Old Norse Amlóði (“fool”), claimed to be suggestive of the way that Hamlet acts in the play, from ama (“to annoy”).
Commonly used in British English and in historical or rural contexts.