the.com/metropolis

means A large, central city — especially the chief or capital city of a country, state, or region.

from From Greek 'mētropolis,' literally 'mother city' — from 'mētēr' (mother) plus 'polis' (city). The term originally named the founding city-state that sent out colonists, who called that original home their 'mother city' the way you'd still name a hometown. Over time the word drifted from 'the city that birthed other cities' to simply 'the big important city' — motherhood quietly dropped, scale kept.