(from μητήρ mother, and κώμη town or village), a term in the ancient church-history, signifying "a borough or village that had other villages under its jurisdiction."—What a metropolis was among cities, a metrocomia was among country towns. The ancient metrocomiae had each its choripiscopus or rural dean, and here was his see or residence. See Metropolis and Choripiscopus.