conterminous
May. 19th, 2009 07:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordconterminous - adj., having a common boundary, bordering, contiguous.
As opposed to coterminous, meaning having the same boundaries and extent. Two administrative districts that meet at a boundary with no gap (such as neighboring counties) would be conterminous, while two that have the same boundary (such as a county and a fire district) would be coterminous. That said, comma, conterminous is sometimes taken as a synonym of coterminous -- and I can't say I approve. The two concepts need distinguishing and blurring meanings makes it even more confusing. Since around 1630, from Latin, from con-, with + terminus, boundary, limit.
---L.
As opposed to coterminous, meaning having the same boundaries and extent. Two administrative districts that meet at a boundary with no gap (such as neighboring counties) would be conterminous, while two that have the same boundary (such as a county and a fire district) would be coterminous. That said, comma, conterminous is sometimes taken as a synonym of coterminous -- and I can't say I approve. The two concepts need distinguishing and blurring meanings makes it even more confusing. Since around 1630, from Latin, from con-, with + terminus, boundary, limit.
---L.
