area definition

English area definition

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin area.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: âr'ēə, IPA^(key): /ˈɛə̯ɹɪə̯/
• (US) enPR: ăr'ēə, IPA^(key): /ˈæɹ.i.ə/, /ˈɛɹ.i.ə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

area (plural areas or areæ)

1. (mathematics) A measure of the extent of a surface; it is measured in square units.
   • 2018, VOA Learning English > China's Melting Glacier Brings Visitors, Adds to Climate Concerns

     It is about 4.5 million square kilometers in area and holds the world’s third largest collection of ice after Antarctica and Greenland.

   • Mathematics definition

     An abstract representational system used in the study of numbers, shapes, structure, change and the relationships between these concepts. (1 of 2 mathematics definitions)

   • Measure definition

     A prescribed quantity or extent.

     1. Moderation, temperance.
     2. A limit that cannot be exceeded; a bound. (Now chiefly in set phrases.)
     3. An (unspecified) portion or quantity.

     (1 of 23 measure definitions)

   • Extent definition

     A range of values or locations. (1 of 5 extent definitions)

   • Surface definition

     The overside or up-side of a flat object such as a table, or of a liquid. (1 of 5 surface definitions)
2. A particular geographic region.

   • Region definition

     Any considerable and connected part of a space or surface; specifically, a tract of land or sea of considerable but indefinite extent; a country; a district; in a broad sense, a place without special reference to location or extent but viewed as an entity for geographical, social or cultural reasons. (1 of 12 region definitions)
3. Any particular extent of surface, especially an empty or unused extent.

   The photo is a little dark in that area.

   • Empty definition

     Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant. (1 of 10 empty definitions)

   • Unused definition

     Not used. (1 of 2 unused definitions)
4. The extent, scope, or range of an object or concept.
   • 2013 September-October, Rob Dorit, “Making Life from Scratch”, in American Scientist:

     Today, a new area of research that similarly aims to mimic a complex biological phenomenon—life itself—is taking off. Synthetic biology, a seductive experimental subfield in the life sciences, seems tantalizingly to promise custom-designed life created in the laboratory.

   The plans are a bit vague in that area.

   • Scope definition

     The breadth, depth or reach of a subject; a domain. (1 of 8 scope definitions)

   • Range definition

     A line or series of mountains, buildings, etc. (1 of 21 range definitions)

   • Object definition

     A thing that has physical existence. (1 of 7 object definitions)

   • Concept definition

     An abstract and general idea; an abstraction. (1 of 3 concept definitions)
5. (Britain) An open space, below ground level, between the front of a house and the pavement.
   • 1853, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, ch 4:

     This was so favourably received by the milkman and beadle that he would immediately have been pushed into the area if I had not held his pinafore while Richard and Mr. Guppy ran down through the kitchen to catch him when he should be released.

   • 1908, Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans":

     A minute later we were both in the area. Hardly had we reached the dark shadows before the step of the policeman was heard in the fog above. As its soft rhythm died away, Holmes set to work upon the lower door. I saw him stoop and strain until with a sharp crash it flew open. We sprang through into the dark passage, closing the area door behind us.

6. (soccer) Penalty box; penalty area.
   • 2010 December 29, Mark Vesty, “Wigan 2-2 Arsenal”, in BBC:

     Bendtner's goal-bound shot was well saved by goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi but fell to Arsahvin on the edge of the area and the Russian swivelled, shaped his body and angled a sumptuous volley into the corner.

   • Soccer definition

     association football

   • Penalty Box definition

     An enclosed bench where a player must remain for timed period (a penalty) that is assessed after an infraction. (1 of 3 penalty box definitions)

   • Penalty Area definition

     An area of a pitch or field, inside which a penalty is given to the offensive team if a foul is made by the defensive team.
7. (slang) Genitals.
   • 2003 October 2, “The One Where Ross Is Fine”, in Friends, season 10, episode 2, NBC, spoken by Frank Buffay Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi):

     But what do I do when the third one runs at me with his bike helmet on? I got no more hands to protect my area!

   • Genitals definition

     Synonym of genitalia

Derived terms

Related terms

• areal

Translations

See also

• Imperial: square inches, square feet, square yards, square miles, acres
• Metric: square meters/square metres, square centimeters/square centimetres, square kilometers/square kilometres, hectares

Anagrams

• Aare, æra

Afrikaans area definition

Noun

area (plural areas)

1. area

   • Area definition

     A measure of the extent of a surface; it is measured in square units. (1 of 7 area definitions)

Derived terms

• leerarea

Galician area definition

Etymology

From Old Galician and Old Portuguese arẽa, from Latin arēnā (“sand”). Cognate with Portuguese areia and Spanish arena.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈɾea̝/

Noun

area f (plural areas)

1. sand (a grain)

   • Sand definition

     Rock that is ground more finely than gravel, but is not as fine as silt (more formally, see grain sizes chart), forming beaches and deserts and also used in construction. (1 of 7 sand definitions)
2. (figuratively) a grain of salt

   • Grain definition

     The harvested seeds of various grass food crops eg: wheat, corn, barley. (1 of 15 grain definitions)

   • Salt definition

     A common substance, chemically consisting mainly of sodium chloride (NaCl), used extensively as a condiment and preservative. (1 of 11 salt definitions)
3. sand (collectively)

   Synonyms: xabre, saibro

   • Xabre definition

     sand (collectively, as a material) (1 of 2 xabre definitions)

   • Saibro definition

     thick sand with pebbles (1 of 2 saibro definitions)
4. (dated) beach, cove

   Synonyms: areal, praia, arnela

   • Beach definition

     The shore of a body of water, especially when sandy or pebbly. (1 of 4 beach definitions)

   • Cove definition

     A hollow in a rock; a cave or cavern. (1 of 7 cove definitions)

   • Areal definition

     Of or pertaining to an area.

   • Praia definition

     beach (shore of a body of water, especially when sandy or pebbly)

   • Arnela definition

     root of a tooth

Derived terms

See also

• área

References

• “area” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006-2012.
• “area” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006-2016.
• “area” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
• “area” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “area” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Italian area definition

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ārea. Doublet of Italian aia (“threshing floor”).

Noun

area f (plural aree)

1. area, surface
2. land, ground

   • Land definition

     The part of Earth which is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water. (1 of 16 land definitions)

   • Ground definition

     The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky or water or underground. (1 of 20 ground definitions)
3. field, sector

   • Field definition

     A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns; open country. (1 of 29 field definitions)

   • Sector definition

     section (1 of 11 sector definitions)

Related terms

• areale

Anagrams

• aera

Latin area definition

Etymology

• Either from Proto-Italic *āzeā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eHs-e-yeh₂, from *h₂eHs- (“to burn”) (whence āreō, ārā),
• Or from Proto-Italic *āreā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₂r-e-yeh₂, from *h₂eh₂rh₃- (“threshing tool”) (cognate with Hittite [script needed] (ḫaḫḫar, “rake, threshing tool”)), resultative reduplicated noun from verb *h₂erh₃- (“to plough”).^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈaː.re.a/, [ˈaː.ɾe.a]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.re.a/, [ˈaː.rɛ.a]

Noun

ārea f (genitive āreae); first declension

1. a piece of level ground, a vacant place (esp. in the town)

   • Level definition

     The same height at all places; parallel to a flat ground. (1 of 10 level definitions)

   • Vacant definition

     Not occupied; empty. (1 of 2 vacant definitions)

   • Place definition

     An area; somewhere within an area.

     1. An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard.
     2. A street, sometimes but not always surrounding a public place, square, or plaza of the same name. (1 of 25 place definitions)

   • Town definition

     A settlement; an area with residential districts, shops and amenities, and its own local government; especially one larger than a village and smaller than a city. (1 of 11 town definitions)
2. ground for a house, a building-spot

   • House definition

     A structure built or serving as an abode of human beings. (1 of 21 house definitions)

   • Building definition

     The act or process by which something is built; construction. (1 of 2 building definitions)

   • Spot definition

     A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape. (1 of 22 spot definitions)
3. (figuratively) a vacant space around or in a house, a court

   • Space definition

     Of time.

     1. Free time; leisure, opportunity.
     2. A specific (specified) period of time.
     3. An undefined period of time (without qualifier, especially a short period); a while.

     (1 of 19 space definitions)

   • Court definition

     An enclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different buildings; also, a space opening from a street and nearly surrounded by houses; a blind alley. (1 of 15 court definitions)
4. (figuratively) an open space for games, an open play-ground

   • Open definition

     Not closed

     1. able to be accessed
     2. able to have something pass through or along it. (1 of 25 open definitions)
5. (figuratively) a threshing floor

   • Threshing Floor definition

     The floor of a threshing house or similar area where grain is threshed.
6. (figuratively) the halo around the sun or moon

   • Halo definition

     A circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere. (1 of 8 halo definitions)

   • Sun definition

     The star that the Earth revolves around and from which it receives light and warmth.

   • Moon definition

     Alternative letter-case form of Moon; the Earth's only permanent natural satellite.
7. (figuratively) a bed or border in a garden

   • Bed definition

     A piece of furniture, usually flat and soft, on which to rest or sleep. (1 of 26 bed definitions)

   • Border definition

     The outer edge of something. (1 of 6 border definitions)

   • Garden definition

     An outdoor area containing one or more types of plants, usually plants grown for food or ornamental purposes. (1 of 7 garden definitions)
8. (figuratively) a fowling-floor

   • Fowling definition

     present participle of fowl

   • Floor definition

     The interior bottom or surface of a house or building; the supporting surface of a room. (1 of 17 floor definitions)
9. (figuratively) a burying-ground, church-yard

   • Burying definition

     present participle of bury

   • Church definition

     A Christian house of worship; a building where Christian religious services take place. (1 of 8 church definitions)

   • Yard definition

     A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building. (1 of 5 yard definitions)
10. (figuratively) a bald spot upon the head, baldness

    • Bald definition

      Having no hair, fur or feathers. (1 of 6 bald definitions)

    • Head definition

      The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. (1 of 61 head definitions)

    • Baldness definition

      The condition or state of being (or becoming) bald.
11. vocative singular of ārea

Declension

First-declension noun.

Derived terms

• ārealis
• āreola

Descendants

Noun

āreā f

1. ablative singular of ārea

References

• area in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• area in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• area in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• area in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• area in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• area in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

Anagrams

• aera

Papiamentu area definition

Etymology

From Spanish área and English area.

Noun

area

1. area

Portuguese area definition

Noun

area f (plural areas)

1. Obsolete spelling of área

   • Área definition

     area

Swedish area definition

Etymology

From Latin area (literally “vacant piece of level ground”)

Noun

area c

1. (geometry) area; a measure of squared distance.

   • Geometry definition

     The branch of mathematics dealing with spatial relationships. (1 of 3 geometry definitions)

Declension