New York City

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “When/how was the city given this name?”)

New York City

1. The largest city in the United States, situated in the state of New York at the mouth of the Hudson River on the northeastern Atlantic Coast. It consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

   Synonyms: (informal) The Big Apple, City of New York, New York, (informal; coined by Washington Irving in 1807) Gotham

   • 1964, John F. Kennedy, A Nation of Immigrants‎, Revised and Enlarged edition, Harper & Row, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 1:

     On May 11, 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville, a young French aristocrat, disembarked in the bustling harbor of New York City. He had crossed the ocean to try to understand the implications for European civilization of the new experiment in democracy on the far side of the Atlantic.

   • 1971, Carole King, Toni Stern (lyrics and music), “Where You Lead”, in Tapestry, performed by Carole King, Ode Records:

     I always wanted a real home with flowers on the window sill,
     But if you want to live in New York City, honey, you know I will.

New York City refers to the entire city spanning all five boroughs since its consolidation in 1898. Prior to that the city was primarily on Manhattan Island. The city’s official name is New York but it is commonly referred to as New York City (NYC), the City of New York, or New York, New York (NY, NY), in order to distinguish it from the state of New York.

• New York Shitty

• New York State