condominium

[kon-duh-min-ee-uh m]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR condominium ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an apartment house, office building, or other multiple-unit complex, the units of which are individually owned, each owner receiving a recordable deed to the individual unit purchased, including the right to sell, mortgage, etc., that unit and sharing in joint ownership of any common grounds, passageways, etc.

a unit in such a building.

International Law.

joint sovereignty over a territory by several states.
the territory itself.

joint or concurrent dominion.

Origin of condominium

1705–15; < New Latin. See con-, dominium

Related formsmin·i-con·do·min·i·um, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for condominium

apartment, townhouse, condo, co-op

Examples from the Web for condominium

Historical Examples of condominium

I also had the honour of making the acquaintance of the British judge and of most of the Condominium officials.
Two Years with the Natives in the Western Pacific
Felix Speiser
Vila is merely the administration centre, and consists of nothing but a few stores and the houses of the Condominium officials.
Two Years with the Natives in the Western Pacific
Felix Speiser
The most important point at starting was thought to be to get rid of the 'Condominium.'
The Life of John of Barneveld, 1609-15, Volume I.
John Lothrop Motley

British Dictionary definitions for condominium

condominium

noun plural -ums

joint rule or sovereignty

a country ruled by two or more foreign powers

US and Canadian

an apartment building in which each apartment is individually wholly owned and the common areas are jointly owned
the title under which an apartment in such a building is owned

Sometimes shortened to: condo Compare cooperative (def. 5)

Word Origin for condominium

C18: from New Latin, from Latin com- together + dominium ownership; see dominion

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 condominium

c.1714, "joint rule or sovereignty," from Modern Latin condominium "joint sovereignty," apparently coined in German c.1700 from Latin com- "together" (see com-) + dominum "right of ownership" (see domain). A word in politics and international law until sense of "privately owned apartment" arose in American English 1962 as a special use of the legal term.