A small town centered on cattle ranching or the cattle trade, often used humorously or dismissively.
Compound of 'cow' and 'town' (Old English 'tun'). The term became common in American English to describe frontier and frontier-era settlements dependent on cattle ranching.
Cities like Kansas City and Dodge City were literally built on cattle drives—'cowtown' started as a description but became a badge of pride, showing how frontier communities transformed cattle commerce into urban civilization.
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