conterminous
conterminous — adjective
- conterminouspositive
- more conterminouscomparative
- most conterminoussuperlative
1. describes two areas of land, such as countries or regions, that touch each other
describes two areas of land, such as countries or regions, that touch each other along a shared border without any gap between them.
Canada and the United States are conterminous along a vast stretch of the 49th parallel.
conterminous + along [geographic line]
Bao's farm is conterminous with the national forest, so deer often wander onto his land.
conterminous with [place]
The two counties are conterminous for fifteen miles along the Red River, which forms the county line.
Tariq explained that the three provinces are not conterminous, since a small territory lies between them.
- non-adjacent
not sharing a border
- separated
having a gap or another region in between
文法句型
conterminous + with + [noun phrase]
用法筆記
Frequently paired with the preposition 'with' to name the adjacent region. This sense is most common in geographical or legal descriptions of land boundaries.
常見錯誤
2. having the same extent, range, or duration as something else; covering exactly t
having the same extent, range, or duration as something else; covering exactly the same period, set of topics, or area of influence.
Romi's term as committee chair was conterminous with a period of major policy changes.
conterminous with [event period]
The court's authority is conterminous with the state's borders and does not extend beyond them.
conterminous with [boundary of authority]
Devika noted that the two research grants were conterminous, both funding the same eighteen-month study.
In Saudi Arabia, civil courts and religious courts have conterminous authority over family law matters such as marriage and inheritance.
- coterminous
the same word with a different spelling; more common in modern usage
- coextensive
a more direct synonym; also formal but slightly more frequent
- different in scope
not covering the same range
- shorter in duration
not covering the same time period
文法句型
conterminous + with + [noun phrase]
用法筆記
This sense overlaps with 'coterminous' (the more common spelling variant). Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 describes physical borders; sense 2 describes abstract reach, time span, or scope.
常見錯誤
3. describes a set of smaller areas that are all enclosed together inside one large
describes a set of smaller areas that are all enclosed together inside one larger boundary, forming a continuous whole without gaps or separate pieces.
The forty-eight conterminous states of the United States form a single connected landmass.
common phrase: conterminous states (a contiguous whole)
All three wildlife refuges are conterminous within the larger national park boundary.
conterminous within [larger area]
Indra explained that the city's five administrative districts are conterminous, with no territory falling outside the municipal limit.
The park ranger unrolled a map showing three conterminous conservation zones that together covered the entire eight-thousand-hectare wildlife reserve.
- contiguous
much more common in everyday and geographical use; 'contiguous United States' is the normal phrase
- continuous
broader meaning; does not specifically imply a shared outer boundary
- non-contiguous
separated by a gap or body of water
- disconnected
not forming a single unbroken whole
文法句型
conterminous + [plural noun]
conterminous + within + [noun phrase]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 focuses on the shared border between two items; sense 3 describes multiple items collectively forming an unbroken whole within a single outer boundary. The phrase 'conterminous states' (especially referring to the 48 contiguous US states) is the most common use of this sense.