-polis

The suffix -polis (from ancient Greek πόλις polis 'city', ' polis ') is part of some loan words in German and a frequent suffix of toponyms in many languages. The modern Greek form is poli ( πόλη ), other common German forms are -pole and -pel for place names.

Examples of loan words:

Acropolis , 'summit city'
Metropolis, metropolis , originally 'mother city' [of a colony ]
Necropolis , 'city of the dead'
Propolis , [substance] 'in front of the city', that is, at the entrance of a beehive

Examples of toponyms:

Adrianople, Neugr. Adrianoupoli, 'City of Hadrian ', today Edirne , Turkey

Alexandroupoli , 'City of Alexanders ', Greece

Annapolis, 'City of Anna ': Annapolis , United States; Anapolis , Brazil; Annopol , Poland

Florianopolis , 'City of Floriano ', Brazil

Grenoble , originally Gratianopolis 'City of Gratian ', France

Hierapolis , 'Holy City', Phrygia, today Turkey

Indianapolis , 'City of Indianas ', United States

Yambol , originally Dianopolis 'City of Diana ', Bulgaria

Kallipolis, 'good city': Gallipoli , Italy; Gelibolu , Turkey

Constantinople , 'City of Constantine '; possibly derived from the Greek tin poli 'in the city': Istanbul , Turkey

Marioupolis, 'City of Mary ', ' City of Mary ': Mariupol , Ukraine; Marijampolė , Lithuania

Megalopoli , 'big city', Greece

Neapolis, 'New Town': Neapoli, several cities in Greece; Napoli or Naples , Italy; Nabeul , Tunisia; Nablus , Palestinian Territories

Nikopolis, 'City of Victory': Nikopolis , Roman Empire, today Greece; Nikopol , Bulgaria; Nikopol , Ukraine

Persepolis , 'Persian City', today Iran

Stauropolis, 'Kreuzstadt': Stavropol , Russia; Stavroupoli , Greece

Tripoli, 'Tricity': Tripoli (Greece) ; Ṭarābulus or Tripoli (Libya); Trāblus or Tripoli (Lebanon)

-polis

See also