Suburban

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /səˈbɜː(ɹ)bən/

Definitions

1. Relating to residential areas on the outskirts of a city, typically characterized by single-family homes and lower population density
2. Referring to regions that lie outside a city center, this term denotes areas known for residential neighborhoods and a lifestyle generally quieter than that of urban environments
3. Pertaining to the outskirts of urban areas, this term describes regions primarily composed of residential zones featuring houses and a more spacious environment than city centers

Etymology: The Latin "suburbanus" was built from "sub" ("under" or "near") and "urbs" ("city"), so its literal sense was something like "near the city." The Romans used it of places on the edges of Rome, where the city's bustle thinned into farms, villas and countryside. The English adjective took that same geography, and its meaning has tracked the spread of cities ever since: a suburban area is one that lies just beyond the urban core, not inside it. Because the word is a plain combination of "sub-" and "urban," its parts are easy to read. "Urban" itself comes from the Latin "urbs," the city, and the suffix "-anus" simply turns a noun into an adjective meaning "belonging to" or "relating to." So the word says, in effect, "belonging to the area under or beside the city."

Synonyms: residential, outlying, peripheral, commuter, rural

Antonyms: urban, metropolitan, city, downtown, central