10 results for: territory

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ter·ri·to·ry

Audio Help [ter-i-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -ries.

1.	any tract of land; region or district.

2.	the land and waters belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a state, sovereign, etc.

3.	any separate tract of land belonging to a state.

(often initial capital letter

) Government.

a.	a region or district of the U.S. not admitted to the Union as a state but having its own legislature, with a governor and other officers appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

b.	some similar district elsewhere, as in Canada and Australia.

5.	a field or sphere of action, thought, etc.; domain or province of something.

6.	the region or district assigned to a representative, agent, or the like, as for making sales.

7.	the area that an animal defends against intruders, esp. of the same species.

[Origin: 1400–50; late ME < L territōrium land round a town, district, equiv. to terr(a) land + -i- -i- + -tōrium -tory²

]

—Synonyms 2. domain, dominion, sovereignty.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
territory

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ter·ri·to·ry Audio Help (těr'ĭ-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. ter·ri·to·ries

An area of land; a region.
The land and waters under the jurisdiction of a government.
1. A political subdivision of a country.
2. A geographic region, such as a colonial possession, that is dependent on an external government: the territories of the Holy Roman Empire.
3. A subdivision of the United States that is not a state and is administered by an appointed or elected governor and elected legislature.
4. A similarly organized political subdivision of Canada or Australia.
often Territory
1. A subdivision of the United States that is not a state and is administered by an appointed or elected governor and elected legislature.
2. A similarly organized political subdivision of Canada or Australia.
An area for which a person is responsible as a representative or agent: a salesperson's territory.
Sports The area of a field defended by a specified team: punted the ball deep into the opponent's territory.
Biology An area occupied by a single animal, mating pair, or group and often vigorously defended against intruders, especially those of the same species.
A sphere of action or interest; a province. See Synonyms at field.

[Middle English, from Latin territōrium, from terra, earth; see ters- in Indo-European roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
territory

1432, "land under the jurisdiction of a town, state, etc.," probably from L. territorium "land around a town, domain, district," from terra "earth, land" (see terrain) + -orium, suffix denoting place. An alternate theory, somewhat supported by the vowels of the original L. word, suggests derivation from terrere "to frighten" (see terrible); thus territorium would mean "a place from which people are warned off." Sense of "any tract of land, district, region" is first attested 1610. Specific U.S. sense of "organized self-governing region not yet a state" is from 1799. Territorial waters is attested from 1841; territorial imperative "animal need to claim and defend territory" is recorded from 1966.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

territory
noun
1.	a region marked off for administrative or other purposes [syn: district]
2.	an area of knowledge or interest; "his questions covered a lot of territory"
3.	the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state; "American troops were stationed on Japanese soil"

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) - Cite This Source - Share This
territory1 [ˈteritəri] noun — plural ˈterritories

a stretch of land; a region
Example: They explored the territory around the North Pole.

Arabic:	إقْليم، مُقاطَعَه
Chinese (Simplified):	版图，地区
Chinese (Traditional):	版圖，地區
Czech:	území, oblast
Danish:	område
Dutch:	gebied
Estonian:	maa-ala
Finnish:	alue
French:	territoire
German:	das Territorium
Greek:	περιοχή
Hungarian:	terület
Icelandic:	(land)svæði
Indonesian:	kawasan
Italian:	territorio

Japanese:	地域
Latvian:	teritorija
Lithuanian:	teritorija, plotas
Norwegian:	landområde, region, territorium
Polish:	obszar
Portuguese (Brazil):	território
Portuguese (Portugal):	território
Romanian:	teritoriu
Russian:	район
Slovak:	územie, oblasť
Slovenian:	področje
Spanish:	territorio
Swedish:	område
Turkish:	bölge

territory2 [ˈteritəri] noun

the land under the control of a ruler or state
Example: British territory.

Arabic:	مَنطِقَه مُحْتَلَّه، مَنطِقَه تحْت إدارَة دولَه أخْرى
Chinese (Simplified):	领土
Chinese (Traditional):	領土
Czech:	státní území
Danish:	territorium; område
Dutch:	grondgebied
Estonian:	territoorium
Finnish:	alue
French:	territoire
German:	das Hoheitsgebiet
Greek:	επικράτεια
Hungarian:	felségterület
Icelandic:	yfirráðasvæði
Indonesian:	wilayah
Italian:	territorio

Japanese:	領土
Latvian:	teritorija
Lithuanian:	teritorija
Norwegian:	territorium
Polish:	terytorium
Portuguese (Brazil):	território
Portuguese (Portugal):	território
Romanian:	teritoriu
Russian:	территория
Slovak:	štátne územie
Slovenian:	področje
Spanish:	territorio
Swedish:	territorium
Turkish:	ilgi veya bilgi alanı

territory3 [ˈteritəri] noun

an area of interest, knowledge etc
Example: Ancient history is outside my territory.

Arabic:	مَجال إهْتِمام أو مَعْرِفَه
Chinese (Simplified):	范围，领域
Chinese (Traditional):	範圍，領域
Czech:	doména
Danish:	område
Dutch:	belangensfeer
Estonian:	huviala
Finnish:	ala
French:	domaine
German:	das Gebiet
Greek:	σφαίρα, πεδίο
Hungarian:	(szak)terület
Icelandic:	(áhuga, *þekkingar)svið
Indonesian:	bidang
Italian:	campo

Japanese:	分野
Latvian:	interešu lauks; joma; nozare
Lithuanian:	interesų ratas, domėjimosi sritis
Norwegian:	(interesse-, *fag)område
Polish:	krąg zainteresowań
Portuguese (Brazil):	território
Portuguese (Portugal):	especialidade
Romanian:	domeniu
Russian:	сфера
Slovak:	doména
Slovenian:	področje
Spanish:	especialidad, campo
Swedish:	område, gebit
Turkish:	yarı bağımlı eyalet

See also: territorial, territorial waters

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

territory Audio Help (těr'ĭ-tôr'ē) Pronunciation Key
A geographic area occupied by a single animal, mating pair, or group. Animals usually defend their territory vigorously against intruders, especially of the same species, but the defense often takes the form of prominent, threatening displays rather than out-and-out fighting. Different animals mark off territory in different ways, as by leaving traces of their scent along the boundaries or, in the case of birds, modifying their calls to keep out intruders.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: ter·ri·to·ry
Pronunciation: 'ter-&-"tOr-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ries
1 : a geographical area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority
2 : a political subdivision of a country
3 : a part of the U.S. (as Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands) not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature —compare TRUST TERRITORY —ter·ri·to·ri·al /"ter-&-'tOr-E-&l/ adjective —ter·ri·to·ri·al·ly adverb

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