market town

The market square of Shrewsbury, an English market town The market square (Marktplatz) of Wittenberg, a market town in Germany

A market town is a settlement (commonly in Europe) that obtained a market right (by custom or royal charter) in the Middle Ages, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or a city. In Great Britain, small rural towns with a hinterland of villages are still commonly called market towns, and this is sometimes reflected in their names (e.g. Downham Market, Market Rasen, or Market Drayton).