municipio

municipality; town

noun moo-nee-SEE-pyoh Common

Origin: From Latin municipium, a self-governing town.

Usage Note

Municipio refers to the basic unit of local government in Spanish-speaking countries, roughly equivalent to a 'municipality' or 'township.' Its governing body is the ayuntamiento (in Spain) or alcaldía (in Latin America). The word is formal and administrative; in everyday speech people say pueblo (village/town) or ciudad (city) depending on size.

Examples

"El municipio aprobó el nuevo proyecto."

Natural Translation

The municipality approved the new project.

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