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Glite Dictionary
municipal center

municipal center

1 3.8
The central area of a city where the city government has offices like the council and main library
  • noun
  • /mjuˈnɪsɪpəl ˈsɛntər/
translation icon : centro municipal
  • The municipal center is located downtown, making it easily accessible for residents.
  • shooting at the municipal center

Examples

  • Citizens gather at the municipal center for town meetings and community events.

  • The municipal center houses the mayor's office and other important civic services.

  • 3) An informational whiteboard at the municipal center would also be great.

    Blog text (24)

  • Chelsea Gauruder, 18, voted for the first time in the 2012 election, in Bethel's fourth district polling place at the municipal center.

    Blog text (18)

Synonyms

city center
vsmunicipal center
  • US
18 1.1

The main area of a city with most shops and offices

is limited to civic and administrative buildings rather than shops
civic center
vsmunicipal center
  • US
3.5

The central part of a city with public buildings and offices

focuses specifically on civic and administrative buildings

How Central

downtown
  • US
930 1.0
municipal center
1 3.8
neighborhood
  • US
∞ 1.8
outskirts
3.0

Surface Forms

municipal center singular
municipal centers plural

Morphology

municipal + center

The meaning is directly and transparently built from 'municipal' (related to city/local authority) + 'center' (a central place or building), yielding a predictable compound referring to the central area or facility for civic/administrative functions. This compositional noun–noun pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words should readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Municipal center comes from the simple picture of a municipal place — a town's center where the town hall, library and offices stand together in one square. So it means the central area for 'city services' and events.