Cité

Cité is a French noun that broadly means city or urban area. It derives from Latin civitas and entered Old French as a term for the inhabited, political, and social center of a settlement. Historically, cité could denote the fortified or central part of a town, distinguishing it from the surrounding countryside.

In modern usage, cité appears in both everyday language and proper names. A well-known example is Île de la Cité, a natural island in the Seine at the heart of Paris. The island has long served as Paris’s political and religious center, housing landmarks such as Notre-Dame de Paris and Sainte-Chapelle, as well as the Palais de Justice. The term in this context evokes the historic core of the city and is sometimes used more generally to refer to central districts of a city.

Beyond historical and geographic uses, cité is also employed in urban planning and in discussions of housing. It commonly designates a district or housing estate within or around a city, particularly in the suburbs. In this sense, a cité may refer to a named residential area or to a cluster of public housing, and its connotations can vary with context and public perception.

Overall, cité functions as a flexible term in French, signaling urban life, historic centers, and defined local districts, from medieval centers to contemporary neighborhoods.