town'

n. [ OE. toun, tun, AS. tun inclosure, fence, village, town; akin to D. tuin a garden, G. zaun a hadge, fence, OHG. zun, Icel. tun an inclosure, homestead, house, Ir. & Gael. dun a fortress, W. din. Cf. Down, adv. & prep., Dune, tine to inclose. ] 1. Formerly: (a) An inclosure which surrounded the mere homestead or dwelling of the lord of the manor. [ Obs. ] (b) The whole of the land which constituted the domain. [ Obs. ] (c) A collection of houses inclosed by fences or walls. [ Obs. ] Palsgrave. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any number or collection of houses to which belongs a regular market, and which is not a city or the see of a bishop. [ Eng. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Any collection of houses larger than a village, and not incorporated as a city; also, loosely, any large, closely populated place, whether incorporated or not, in distinction from the country, or from rural communities. [ 1913 Webster ]

God made the country, and man made the town. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The body of inhabitants resident in a town; as, the town voted to send two representatives to the legislature; the town voted to lay a tax for repairing the highways. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A township; the whole territory within certain limits, less than those of a country. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

6. The court end of London; -- commonly with the. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. The metropolis or its inhabitants; as, in winter the gentleman lives in town; in summer, in the country. [ 1913 Webster ]

Always hankering after the diversions of the town. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Stunned with his giddy larum half the town. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The same form of expressions is used in regard to other populous towns. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. A farm or farmstead; also, a court or farmyard. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Town is often used adjectively or in combination with other words; as, town clerk, or town-clerk; town-crier, or town crier; townhall, town-hall, or town hall; townhouse, town house, or town-house. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Village; hamlet. See Village. [ 1913 Webster ]

Town clerk, an office who keeps the records of a town, and enters its official proceedings. See Clerk. --
Town cress (Bot.), the garden cress, or peppergrass. Dr. Prior. --
Town house. (a) A house in town, in distinction from a house in the country. (b) See Townhouse. --
Town meeting, a legal meeting of the inhabitants of a town entitled to vote, for the transaction of public bisiness. [ U. S. ] --
Town talk, the common talk of a place; the subject or topic of common conversation. [ 1913 Webster ]