/ter"i tawr'ee, -tohr'ee/ , n. , pl. territories .
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.
4. ( often cap. ) Govt.
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.
[ 1400-50; late ME territorium land round a town, district, equiv. to terr ( a ) land + -i- -I- + -torium -TORY 2 ]
Syn. 2. domain, dominion, sovereignty.