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definitions

area

[air-ee-uh]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR area ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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RELATED WORDS

provincial, national, sectional

Nearby words

  1. arduous,
  2. arduously,
  3. ardurous,
  4. ardèche,
  5. are,
  6. area bombing,
  7. area code,
  8. area of cardiac dullness,
  9. area of outstanding natural beauty,
  10. area opaca

Origin of area

1530–40; < Latin ārea vacant piece of level ground, open space in a town, threshing floor; perhaps akin to ārēre to be dry. See arid
Related formsar·e·al, adjectivear·e·al·ly, adverb
Can be confusedarea aria
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for areal

British Dictionary definitions for areal

area

noun

any flat, curved, or irregular expanse of a surface
  1. the extent of a two-dimensional surface enclosed within a specified boundary or geometric figurethe area of Ireland; the area of a triangle
  2. the two-dimensional extent of the surface of a solid, or of some part thereof, esp one bounded by a closed curvethe area of a sphere
a section, portion, or partan area of the body; an area of the sky
region; district; localitya mountainous area
  1. a geographical division of administrative responsibility
  2. (as modifier)area manager
a part or section, as of a building, town, etc, having some specified function or characteristicreception area; commercial area; slum area
Also called: areaway a sunken area, usually enclosed, giving light, air, and sometimes access to a cellar or basement
the range, extent, or scope of anything
a subject field or field of study
any unoccupied or unused flat open piece of ground
the ground on which a building stands, or the ground surrounding a building
anatomy any of the various regions of the cerebral cortex
computing any part of a computer memory assigned to store data of a specified type
Derived Formsareal, adjective

Word Origin for area

C16: from Latin: level ground, open space, threshing-floor; related to ārēre to be dry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for areal
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for areal

area

[âr′ē-ə]

n. pl. ar•e•as

A circumscribed surface or space.
All of a part that is supplied by a given artery or nerve.
A part of an organ having a special function.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for areal

area

[âr′ē-ə]

The extent of a surface or plane figure as measured in square units.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with areal

area

see gray area.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.