n. 1. A small group of dwellings in a rural area, usually ranking in size between a hamlet and a town. 2. In some US states, an incorporated community smaller in population than a town. 3. The inhabitants of a village; villagers. 4. A dense group of animal habitations: a prairie dog village. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin vīllāticum, farmstead, from neuter of vīllāticus, of a villa or farmstead, from vīlla, country house, farm; see weik-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.