23.05.2012

territory |ˈterəˌtôrē|noun ( pl. territories )1 an area of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state: the government wasprepared to give up the nuclear weapons on its territory | sorties into enemy territory.• Zoology an area defended by an animal or group of animals against others of the same sex or species. Compare with home range.• an area defended by a team or player in a game or sport.• an area in which one has certain rights or for which one has responsibility with regard to a particular type of activity: a sales rep for a large territory.• [ with modifier ] land with a specified characteristic: woodland territory.2 ( Territory )(esp. in the US, Canada, or Australia) an organized division of a country that is not yet admitted to the full rights of a state.3 an area of knowledge, activity, or experience: the contentious territory of clinical standards | the way she felt now—she was in unknown territory.PHRASESgo (or come ) with the territory be an unavoidable result of a particularsituation.ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin territorium, from terra ‘land.’The word originally denoted the district surrounding and under thejurisdiction of a town or city, specifically a Roman or provincial city.