English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From city +‎ state, a calque of German Stadtstaat.

Noun

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city state (plural city states)

  1. A sovereign city, as in Ancient Greece, often part of a league of such cities.
    Singapore is the world's most populous city state.
    The Vatican City State, a sovereign city-state, has a large number of embassies across the world.

Synonyms

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Translations

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Further reading

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