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Glite Dictionary
bidonville

bidonville

9.9
A poor area on the edge of a city where people live in simple houses made from metal or wood
  • noun
  • /ˈbɪdɒnˌviːl/
translation icon : bidonville
  • A Nanterre psychology professor described it thus: "The university grounds are a site lost in the midst of cheap housing and immigrant ghettos (bidonville).

Examples

  • Many families live in bidonville areas where basic services are often lacking.

  • At least for the time being, neoliberalism has seen a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich, and hence an increasing marginalization of the former, which is panoramically visible in the barrios, favelas, and bidonvilles of major cities in developing countries.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The documentary revealed the harsh living conditions in the city's bidonville neighborhoods.

  • After moving to the country, she was shocked to see the bidonville on the outskirts of the city.

Synonyms

slum
vsbidonville
77 3.0

A poor part of a city with crowded, run-down houses and few services

is used especially for poor settlements on city outskirts in French areas
shantytown
vsbidonville
6 7.0

An area of a city where very poor people live in small rough houses

includes that physical shelter focus but also covers general poor urban areas
slum area
vsbidonville
2 2.7

A poor part of a city where many people live in small, crowded houses

is a broader term covering similar settlements beyond formal district limits

How Run-Down

slum
77 3.0
bidonville
9.9
shantytown
6 7.0

Surface Forms

bidonville singular
bidonvilles plural

Etymology

Bidonville comes from French: bidon means 'metal can' and ville means 'town', like the '-ville' in English place names. It gives the image of homes and shelters made from tin cans and scrap metal, so bidonville is used for a 'shantytown' on the edge of a city.