English Reference

Word

ville

/ˈvɪɫ/

Definition

n. an old word for a small town or village. You might see this in history books or very old stories.

n. a village or small town. Archaic in modern English; occasionally encountered in historical military contexts or as a suffix in place names.

Examples

“The soldiers marched toward the quiet ville.”

“The regiment established a temporary headquarters in a small ville just across the border.”

“Historical accounts describe the area as a collection of scattered villes, each serving as a local hub for the surrounding agricultural estates.”

Examples

simple

“The soldiers marched toward the quiet ville.”

contextual

“The regiment established a temporary headquarters in a small ville just across the border.”

complex

“Historical accounts describe the area as a collection of scattered villes, each serving as a local hub for the surrounding agricultural estates.”

Usage

Primarily archaic; in modern usage, it is most frequently seen as a suffix in toponyms like 'Louisville' or 'Nashville'.

Etymology

From French ville. Doublet of vill and villa.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Domain

Military

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/ville

English Reference