megalopolis (mĕgəlŏp´lĬs) [Gr.,=great city], a group of densely populated metropolitan areas that combine to form an urban complex. It was first used in its modern sense by Jean Gottman (1957) to describe the huge urban area along the eastern seaboard of the United States from Boston to Washington, D.C. According to Gottman, it resulted from changes in work and social habits.

megalopolis In ancient Greek, a large planned town. Used by Lewis Mumford (The Culture of Cities, 1940) to refer to a great metropolis growing uncontrollably, and now to denote a very large, functionally interconnected system of cities and suburbs. See also CONURBATION; METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA.

megalopolis. Very large urban region formed of a metropolis that has far outgrown itself and swallowed many towns and villages, or a series of metropoleis that have joined up (e.g. the urban sprawl between Washington, DC and NYC).

Bibliography

Eldredge (ed.) (1967);
L. Mumford (1938, 1946, 1961)

meg·a·lop·o·lis / ˌmegəˈläpələs/ • n. a very large, heavily populated city or urban complex.

megalopolis •Alice, chalice, challis, malice, palace, Tallis •aurora australis •Ellis, trellis •necklace •aurora borealis, Baylis, digitalis, Fidelis, rayless •ageless • aimless • keyless •amaryllis, cilice, Dilys, fillis, Phyllis •ribless • lidless • rimless •kinless, sinless, winless •lipless • witless • annus mirabilis •annus horribilis • syphilis •eyeless, skyless, tieless •polis, solace, Wallace •joyless •Dulles, portcullis •accomplice •Annapolis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis •Persepolis •acropolis, cosmopolis, Heliopolis, megalopolis, metropolis, necropolis •chrysalis • surplice • amice • premise •airmiss • Amis • in extremis • Artemis •promise •pomace, pumice •Salamis •dermis, epidermis, kermis