conterminous

adjective

con·​ter·​mi·​nous kən-ˈtər-mə-nəs How to pronounce conterminous (audio)
kän-
1
: having a common boundary
conterminous countries
2
3
: enclosed within one common boundary
the 48 conterminous states
conterminously adverb

Examples of conterminous in a Sentence

for two nations that are conterminous from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the U.S. and Canada have had remarkably little strife the county and the school district are conterminous
Recent Examples on the Web In 1999, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listed the species as threatened throughout the conterminous United States under the Endangered Species List. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 18 Apr. 2023 Australia, the island continent, is roughly the same size as the conterminous United States. Patrick D. Nunn, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2018 The italicization is important: A poet more iconic, more conterminous with the idea of America cannot be easily found. Neel Mukherjee, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conterminous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin conterminus (from con- con- + -terminus, adjective derivative of terminus "boundary marker, limit") + -ous — more at term entry 1

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of conterminous was in 1631

Dictionary Entries Near conterminous

Cite this Entry

“Conterminous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conterminous. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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