Township

[William Hupy]

Seems like an oxymoron...how can a town be a ship? However, from my limited research the suffix appears to denote quality, condition, position. The PIE root for town has many progeny, all meaning or alluding to hill fort.

[Slava]

I remember reading the word in the days of apartheid, but only recently found out that the meaning of township in South Africa was specifically for an area set aside for non-whites. Words can sure have serious differences in meaning in different times and places.