TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

FREE CITY [1 record]

Record 1 2023-01-25

English

Subject field(s)
  • Political Science (General)
  • National History
DEF

A political system consisting of an independent city having sovereignty over contiguous territory and serving as a centre and leader of political, economic, and cultural life.

CONT

In view of the concentration of political life, city-states have tended to be small, comprising the urban center and surrounding rural districts. Because this form of political organization appeared in early stages of civilized societies, citizens were also grouped in a tight social, religious, and economic bond.

OBS

free city: The English translation of the German ["freie Stadt,"] applies specifically to certain towns in the medieval Holy Roman Empire, although city states of ancient Greece and Renaissance Italy may be viewed as free cities.

Key term(s)
  • city state
  • free-city

French

Domaine(s)
  • Sciences politiques (Généralités)
  • Histoires nationales
DEF

Entité politique dont le territoire correspond globalement à celui d'une grande ville, qui possède généralement l’ensemble des pouvoirs et des caractéristiques d'un État souverain.

Key term(s)
  • cité État
  • ville-libre
  • cité-libre

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Ciencias políticas (Generalidades)
  • Historia nacional
CONT

Pero el desarrollo de la ciudad baja la extiende hasta romper los límites de la alta, y el resultado de esa casi osmótica fusión es la ciudad global que, siendo única, recibe el nombre de la que le dio origen, y así surge la polis, o Ciudad-Estado, punto de orígen de casi todas las concepciones políticas que han tenido fundamento y desarrollo en el mundo occidental.

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