MUNIC'IPAL, adjective [Latin municipalis, from municeps, a person who enjoys the rights of a free citizen; munus, office, duty, and capio, to take.] 1. Pertaining to a corporation or city; as municipal rights; municipal officers. 2. Pertaining to a state, kingdom or nation. Municipal law is properly defined to be a rule of civil conduct prescribed by the supreme power in a state-- Municipal, as used by the Romans, originally designated that which pertained to a municipium, a free city or town. It still retains this limited sense; but we have extended it to what belongs to a state or nation, as a distinct, independent body. municipal law or regulation respects solely the citizens of a state, and is thus distinguished from commercial law, political law, and the law of nations.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI