metic

Thân thiện

A metic pays his fee to the city magistrate.

Definition

Noun: 1. A foreign resident in an ancient Greek city (especially Athens) who paid a tax for the right to live there: A "metic" was a free, non-citizen inhabitant of an ancient Greek city-state. Unlike citizens, they did not have political rights, but they were granted legal protection and the right to engage in trade and commerce in exchange for paying a special tax called the metoikion.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The wealthy metic contributed significantly to the Athenian economy through his shipping business.
  • As a metic, she could live and work in the city but was not allowed to own land or participate in the assembly.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The status of "metic" was most formally developed in classical Athens. Metics were often skilled artisans, merchants, or intellectuals. The famous philosopher Aristotle was a metic during his time in Athens.
• Social Role: While excluded from political life and land ownership, metics were a crucial part of the social and economic fabric of cities like Athens, performing roles that citizens sometimes avoided.

Variants and Related Words

• Metoikion (noun): The annual tax paid by a metic to reside in a city like Athens.
• Meticulous (adjective): Note: This is a different word with a different origin, meaning "showing great attention to detail." It is not a variant of "metic" but is sometimes confused due to similar spelling.

Synonyms

• Resident alien (in the specific historical context)
• Non-citizen inhabitant

Antonyms

• Citizen (a person with full political and legal rights in the city-state)
• Slave (a person who was owned as property, unlike the free metic)

Học thuật

Noun

1. an alien who paid a fee to reside in an ancient Greek city