synoecism

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/sɪˈniːsɪzəm/

noun

The unification of towns, tribes etc. under one capital city or polis.

OriginAncient Greek συνοικισμός →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounsynoecism (plural synoecisms)

plural synoecisms · alternative synœcism

  1. Ancient GreeceThe unification of towns, tribes etc. under one capital city or polis.

    They always remained separate states and were never synoikised.

    1886, English History Review, I, pg 636
    2 more examples

    Legends...current before the villages were synoecised into Athens.

    1887, Andrew Lang, Myth, Ritual & Religion, I, pg 266

    When the town was first formed...by the synœcism of the neighboring villages.

    1922, Ernest Arthur Gardner, Mantineia, Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. XXX. 529/2

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekσυνοικισμός
  2. Englishsynoecism

From Ancient Greek συνοικισμός (sunoikismós), from συνοικίζειν (sunoikízein, “to make live with, to unite under one city”), from σύν (sún, “together”) + οἰκίζειν (oikízein, “to colonise”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French synœcisme
  • synœcismeunification under one capital city
Italian sinecismo
  • sinecismounification under one capital city
Cite this entry
APA

synoecism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/synoecism

MLA

“synoecism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/synoecism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “synoecism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/synoecism.

Source: synoecism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.