condominium

American  

[kon-duh-min-ee-uhm] / ˌkɒn dəˈmɪn i əm /

noun

1. 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.

2. a unit in such a building.

3. International Law.

   1. joint sovereignty over a territory by several states.

   2. the territory itself.

4. joint or concurrent dominion.

---

condominium British  

/ ˌkɒndəˈmɪnɪəm /

noun

1. joint rule or sovereignty

2. a country ruled by two or more foreign powers

3. Sometimes shortened to: condo.  Compare cooperative

   1. an apartment building in which each apartment is individually wholly owned and the common areas are jointly owned

   2. the title under which an apartment in such a building is owned

---

Other Word Forms

• mini-condominium noun

Etymology

Origin of condominium

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

Example Sentences

While the properties have been zoned for use as supportive housing for years, they are surrounded by swank condominiums that have sold for as much as $7 million.

From Los Angeles Times

But with construction roughly 80% complete, the borrower decided to redesign the top portion of the apartment building as condominiums.

From The Wall Street Journal

About 250 other structures — duplexes, apartment buildings, condominium complexes — were also destroyed or damaged, those officials said.

From Los Angeles Times

One week before the closing on a 5,300-square-foot condominium in New York City’s Upper East Side, Beth Benalloul, a broker at the Corcoran Group, got a frantic call from the buyer’s agent.

From The Wall Street Journal

Many nightclubs contain the fuel load of an entire residential condominium, the ignition sources of an industrial site, and the evacuation constraints of a submarine.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• apartment
• co-op
• condo
• townhouse