area

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin area.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɛə̯ɹɪə̯/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈæɹ.i.ə/, /ˈɛɹ.i.ə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

area (plural areas or areæ)

1. (mathematics) A measure of the extent of a surface; it is measured in square units.
2. A particular geographic region.
3. Any particular extent of surface, especially an empty or unused extent.

   The photo is a little dark in that area.

4. The extent, scope, or range of an object or concept.
   • 2013 September-October, Rob Dorit, “Making Life from Scratch”, in American Scientist:

     Today, a new area of research that similarly aims to mimic a complex biological phenomenon—life itself—is taking off. Synthetic biology, a seductive experimental subfield in the life sciences, seems tantalizingly to promise custom-designed life created in the laboratory.

   The plans are a bit vague in that area.

5. (Britain) An open space, below ground level, between the front of a house and the pavement.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Charles Dickens to this entry?)

6. (soccer) Penalty box; penalty area.
   • 2010 December 29, Mark Vesty, “Wigan 2-2 Arsenal”, in BBC:

     Bendtner's goal-bound shot was well saved by goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi but fell to Arsahvin on the edge of the area and the Russian swivelled, shaped his body and angled a sumptuous volley into the corner.

7. (slang) Genitals.
   • 2003 October 2, Giovanni Ribisi as Frank Buffay Jr., “The One Where Ross Is Fine”, in Friends, season 10, episode 2, NBC:

     But what do I do when the third one runs at me with his bike helmet on? I got no more hands to protect my area!

See also

• Imperial: square inches, square feet, square yards, square miles, acres
• Metric: square meters/square metres, square centimeters/square centimetres, square kilometers/square kilometres, hectares

Anagrams

• Aare, æra

Noun

area (plural areas)

1. area

Etymology

From Old Galician and Old Portuguese arẽa, from Latin arēnā (“sand”). Cognate with Portuguese areia and Spanish arena.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈɾea̝/

Noun

area f (plural areas)

1. sand (a grain)
2. (figuratively) a grain of salt
3. sand (collectively)

   Synonym: xabre

4. (dated) beach, cove

   Synonyms: areal, praia

See also

• área

References

• “area” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006-2012.
• “area” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006-2016.
• “area” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
• “area” in Santamarina, Antón (coord.): Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.
• “area” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ārea. Cognate to Italian aia (“threshing floor”) (which is not borrowed but inherited).

Noun

area f (plural aree)

1. area, surface
2. land, ground
3. field, sector

Anagrams

• aera

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *ār-eyā-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₂r-eyeh₂-, from *h₂eh₂rh₃- (“threshing tool”) (cognate with Hittite [script needed] (ḫaḫḫar, “rake, threshing tool”)), resultative reduplicated noun from verb *h₂erh₃- (“to plough”).^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈaː.re.a/

Noun

ārea f (genitive āreae); first declension

1. open space
2. a threshing floor
3. vocative singular of ārea

āreā f

1. ablative singular of ārea

References

• area in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• area in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• area in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• area in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• area in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• area in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

Anagrams

• aera

Etymology

From Spanish área and English area.

Noun

area

1. area

Noun

area f (plural areas)

1. Obsolete spelling of área

Noun

area c

1. (geometry) area; a measure of squared distance.