(Latin) a Roman urban center or fortified city; according to the lex Rubria in 49 BCE, oppida could have three subdivisions: municipium, colonia, and praefectura.

fortified town or settlement.

A term used to describe large late Iron Age settlements with some urban-qualities.

( pl. 'oppida') A large pre-Roman town of Western or Central Europe, often associated with a hill fort.

a fortified site on an elevated location)

An oppidum Latin oppidum, from an earlier Latin ob-pedum, "enclosed space". Pedum itself could derive from Proto-Indo-European *pedóm-, 'occupied space' and/or 'footprint'. (pl: oppida) was Latin for the main settlement in any administrative area of the Roman Empire.