suburbia

C1 Topic:Places & Geography

US /səˈbɝ.bi.ə/ UK /səˈbɜː.bɪ.ə/ See IPA manual

Freq #36481

Meanings

1

noun
The suburbs of a city, considered as a place and way of life.

He grew up in the quiet streets of suburbia.
2

noun
The suburbs seen as representing a dull, conventional middle-class lifestyle.

The play satirises the conformity and boredom of suburbia.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the suburbs of a city,... suburbsuburban area

2 noun · the suburbs seen as... suburbanismsuburbanity

Etymology

PIE word *upó From suburb + -ia (suffix forming abstract nouns, the names of collections of things, etc.), perhaps modelled after Latin suburbia (“suburbs”), the plural of suburbium.

*gʰerdʰ- Proto-Indo-European suburbia Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Places & Geography

External links

# suburbia

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /səˈbɝ.bi.ə/
**IPA (UK):** /səˈbɜː.bɪ.ə/
**Frequency rank:** 36481

## Meanings
1. The suburbs of a city, considered as a place and way of life.
2. The suburbs seen as representing a dull, conventional middle-class lifestyle.

## Examples
- He grew up in the quiet streets of suburbia.
- The play satirises the conformity and boredom of suburbia.

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *gʰerdʰ-
- Root: suburbia

## Etymology
PIE word *upó From suburb + -ia (suffix forming abstract nouns, the names of collections of things, etc.), perhaps modelled after Latin suburbia (“suburbs”), the plural of suburbium.

## AI Etymology
Suburbia is from suburb + -ia (suffix forming abstract nouns, the names of collections of things, etc.), perhaps modelled after Latin suburbia (“suburbs”), the plural of suburbium. The deeper Proto-Indo-European form is *upó. In present-day use, it can mean the suburbs of a city, considered as a place and way of life, or the suburbs seen as representing a dull, conventional middle-class lifestyle.

## Topics
- Places & Geography

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