Origin: Latin suffix -al
Rural has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
A person from the countryside; a rustic.
"The local festival was filled with rural folks who had traveled for miles to celebrate their harvest traditions."
In plain English: Rural refers to areas that are far from cities and have mostly open land, farms, or small towns.
"The rural represented the quiet life away from the city."
living in or characteristic of farming or country life
"rural people"
"large rural households"
"unpaved rural roads"
"an economy that is basically rural"
of or relating to the countryside as opposed to the city
"rural electrification"
"rural free delivery"
Relating to the countryside or to agriculture.
"The rural community held its annual harvest festival to celebrate the crops grown by local farmers."
In plain English: Rural means living in an area with few people, mostly farms and open land instead of big cities.
"Many residents prefer to live in rural areas because the air is cleaner and the pace of life is slower."
Usage: Use rural to describe areas outside cities that are characterized by open land, farming, and small communities. This term contrasts with urban settings but does not necessarily imply isolation from modern amenities.
The word comes from the Old French rural, which was borrowed from the Latin rūra meaning "the countryside." It entered English with its current sense of relating to rural areas, having retained the original meaning throughout its history.