Municipality

noun (plural: municipalities)

/mjuːˌnɪsɪˈpælɪti/

An urban local body — such as a Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council, or Municipal Corporation — constitutionally mandated under Part IX-A to govern a city, town, or transitional area.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The 74th Constitutional Amendment sought to transform every municipality from a mere agent of the state government into a genuine third tier of self-governance, yet the persistent reluctance to devolve finances and functionaries has left urban local bodies fiscally hollow and administratively dependent.

Synonyms

corporationtown councilcivic bodylocal authorityboroughcommune

Antonyms

central governmentstate governmenthinterlandcountryside

🌱 Word Family

municipal (adj.), municipality (n.), municipalities (n. pl.), municipalise (v.), municipally (adv.)

🔡 Root

Latin municipium = free city/township; mūnus = duty, service + -ceps = taker

📜 Etymology

From French municipalité, from Latin municipalis, from municipium ("free city, township"), from mūnus ("duty, service") + -ceps ("taker").

🧠 Memory Hook

Think MUNI + CIPALITY: from Latin munus ('duty') + capere ('to take') - a town that 'takes up its own duties', i.e. governs itself. Recall the 'muni-' in municipal bonds that fund a city's own services.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Local Government & Decentralisation — ...

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