City father

City father

The term city fathers (or Stadtväter) is used to mean two things: firstly (and most commonly), it denotes a member of a municipal council over a city. Secondly, it can signify the "Founding Fathers" of the city. Founding City fathers have usually only been men, but it is likely that there have been female city fathers.

In this sense, city fathers are usually the people who founded the city and/or its major institutions.

Fictional city fathers

Lemony Snicket.

  • In Cities in Flight, the city fathers are the computers that form part of the government of New York.

Incorrect usage of the term

Among many members of an online community who play videogames of The Sims series incorrectly use the term "town father" to denote a person that impregnates nearly all of the fertile women in the neighborhood and literally fathers the majority of the town's next generation. As interesting and promiscuous as this concept may be, it does not seem to correlate of what the actual term is supposed to refer.

See also


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • city father — ☆ city father n. any of the important officials of a city, as a councilman or alderman …   English World dictionary

  • city father — noun an important municipal official • Hypernyms: ↑official, ↑functionary * * * noun, pl ⋯ thers [count] somewhat old fashioned : someone who works for a city government usually plural The city fathers have banned smoking in public places. * * *… …   Useful english dictionary

  • city father — Synonyms and related words: MP, Member of Congress, Member of Parliament, alderman, archon, assemblyman, bailie, burghermaster, burgomaster, cabinet member, cabinet minister, chancellor, chosen freeholder, city councilman, city manager, commissar …   Moby Thesaurus

  • city father — noun Date: 1843 a member (as an alderman or councilman) of the governing body of a city …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • city father — any of the officials or prominent citizens of a city. [1835 45, Amer.] * * * …   Universalium

  • city father — one of the founders of a city …   English contemporary dictionary

  • city father — noun a person concerned with the administration of a city …   English new terms dictionary

  • city father — noun (countable usually plural) old use a member of the group of people who govern a city …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • city father — cit′y fa′ther n. gov any of the officials or prominent citizens of a city • Etymology: 1835–45, amer …   From formal English to slang

  • city father — /sɪti ˈfaðə/ (say sitee fahdhuh) noun one of the officials and prominent citizens of a city …  

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