Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • New York City. The nickname was popularized by Washington Irving and others in Salmagundi, a series of satirical sketches (1807–1808).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun this sense?) Name given to London by Richard Braithwaite in ‘Barnabee's Journal’ 1636: "I came to Gotham, where I saw many who were fools, if not all." Lat., Veni Gotham, ubi multos, Si non omnes, vidi stultos. 'Barnabae Itinerarium (1636)'.
  • proper noun A village in Nottinghamshire, England.
  • proper noun Fictional city in Batman where the story mainly takes place.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

When originally used in England, the meaning of the place name Gotham was literally "homestead where goats are kept", from Old English gat 'goat' and ham 'home'.

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