μητρόπολις
mētrópolis
G3390
SILEX Entry
Definition
A principal city, usually understood as a 'mother city' in relation to its colonies or dependent settlements; more generally, the most prominent or leading city within a region or territory. The term carries the central sense of a city from which others originate, or which stands as an administrative, cultural, or economic center. In various contexts, can denote either the founding city (mother of colonies) or the principal city among several.
Semantic Range
mother city (founder of colonies), chief/principal city in a region, capital city, urban center of prominence
Root / Etymology
From μήτηρ (mother) and πόλις (city), thus literally 'mother city.' The formation mirrors other Greek compound nouns denoting a primordial or primary origin or status.
Historical & Contextual Notes
'μητρόπολις' appears in classical, Hellenistic, and later Greek with the primary sense of a 'mother city'—that is, a urban center which holds authority or primacy over other cities, typically as the founder of colonies (ἀποικίαι/apikia). In the classical polis system, a μήτηρ πόλις refers specifically to the origin city of an established colony, but by the Hellenistic and Roman periods the sense broadened to include the pre-eminent city within a given region or province, often the seat of government, commerce, and religious activities. This matches the later English use of 'metropolis' as a major urban center. The term does not automatically carry religious or political connotations, though it can imply both depending on context (e.g., Asia's chief city in certain imperial lists). English Bible translations do not generally render μητρόπολις, as the term does not appear in the New Testament proper but is found in later Koine sources and in Hellenistic civic inscriptions.—Contrast with πόλις (city, city-state) and πολίτευμα (civic body, commonwealth), which denote a city or the collective body of citizens respectively, without the aspect of primacy or centrality implied by μητρόπολις.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from μήτηρ and πόλις; a mother city, i.e. "metropolis":--chiefest city.
Root Family
μητρ-, πολ- (mētrópolis) — mother, city
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 occurrences
No occurrences found.