TERRITORY


Meaning of TERRITORY in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈter-ə-ˌtȯr-ē ]

noun

( plural -ries )

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin territorium, literally, land around a town, from terra land — more at terrace

Date: 14th century

1.

a. : a geographic area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority

b. : an administrative subdivision of a country

c. : a part of the United States not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature

d. : a geographic area (as a colonial possession) dependent on an external government but having some degree of autonomy

2.

a. : an indeterminate geographic area

b. : a field of knowledge or interest

3.

a. : an assigned area ; especially : one in which a sales representative or distributor operates

b. : an area often including a nesting or denning site and a variable foraging range that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

- go with the territory

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.