Cityful

/ˈsɪtiˌfʊl/ noun

Definition

The amount or quantity that fills a city; as much as a city can contain, often used poetically to mean a large multitude.

Etymology

Compound of city and -ful (Old English full, meaning 'full'). Following the pattern of cupful, handful, and roomful, indicating a container's worth or abundance.

Kelly Says

A 'cityful of people' is a poetic way to say 'massive crowd,' but the word reveals something neat: we measure crowds not by numbers but by familiar containers, from handfuls to cityfulls, mapping abstract quantities onto physical spaces.

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