metropolis

 
Pronunciation: /mɪˈtrɒp(ə)lɪs/

noun

  • the capital or chief city of a country or region: he preferred the peaceful life of the countryside to the bustle of the metropolis
  • a very large and busy city: by the late eighteenth century Edo had grown to a metropolis with a population of nearly one million

Origin:

late Middle English (denoting the see of a metropolitan bishop): via late Latin from Greek mētropolis 'mother state', from mētēr, mētr- 'mother' + polis 'city'