metroplex
Meaning
A very large metropolitan area, especially one that is a continuous complex of cities and suburbs.
Structure
Usage
The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is one of the largest economic centers in the southern United States.
Urban planners are studying the transportation challenges unique to such a vast metroplex.
The radio station's signal covers the entire metroplex and several outlying counties.
Etymology
The word 'metroplex' is a modern American English portmanteau, coined in the latter half of the 20th century. It fuses the Greek-derived 'metro-', shorthand for metropolis (from mētēr "mother" + polis "city"), with the Latin-derived '-plex' (from plectere "to weave"). The literal construction implies a "woven-together mother city." This elegantly captures the concept of a vast, interconnected urban network where a central metropolis and its sprawling suburban and exurban regions are intricately linked into a single, complex socio-economic entity, much like the threads of a fabric.
Analysis
- metro: From Greek mētēr (mother), via French métro(polite), meaning "mother city" or "metropolis." In this compound, it signifies the core urban area. - plex: From Latin plexus, past participle of plectere meaning "to plait, weave, braid." It functions as a combining form indicating something interwoven or interconnected.