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contiguity

contiguity

1 8.7
The state of being next to or touching something
  • noun
  • /kənˈtɪɡ.juː.ɪ.ti/
translation icon : contigüidad
  • The park's contiguity with the river makes it a popular spot for picnics.
  • temporal contiguity
  • spatial contiguity
  • geographical contiguity

Not a similitude, but a slippage, an extreme proximity, and an absolute contiguity, an unnatural alliance.

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Examples

  • The second emphasizes geographic contiguity, which purportedly allowed the Soviet Union to easily project its power across its allies.

    Academic text (2018)
  • The problem of territorial contiguity also has negative implications for crisis stability.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Only after that consideration are matters like community of interest and contiguity taken into account.

    Blog text (22)
  • Teachers must ensure that students lacking the contiguity requirements of a course are provided necessary background knowledge.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The location of Gilgit-Baltistan and its geographical contiguity with emerging nations give it a unique place.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Its significance is enhanced by its contiguity with Luokeng Nature Reserve, to its north in another county.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Station groups were then plotted on a map of the region sampled to verify the geographical contiguity of detected clusters.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Territorial carve-ups must also ensure territorial contiguity for single resident ethnic groups, something that the 1993 Vance-Owen Plan failed to do.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The unexplained spatial contiguity of chronologically or conceptually disparate works illustrates the installation's eclecticism.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Selection through similarity—the attraction of likes—or combination through contiguity—the attraction of closeness-to-hand—shapes the structure and style of narratives.

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

contact
vscontiguity
371 1.0

Physical touching between people or things

is focused on very close adjacency rather than a single connection
proximity
vscontiguity
112 4.2

Nearness in space, time, or relationship

is narrower, stressing immediate physical closeness rather than general nearness
physical contact
vscontiguity
27 2.0

Touch between people or between a person and an object

covers close touching in general not only bodily interaction
nearness
vscontiguity
4 1.0

The state of being close in place, time, or feeling

often implies actual touching or direct adjacency rather than mere closeness
adjacency
vscontiguity
1 6.8

A situation where two things are next to each other or touching

is about actual direct contact rather than simply being next to something
propinquity
vscontiguity
1 9.9

Being close in place, time, or relationship

is narrower, stressing immediate physical closeness and direct touching
contiguousness
vscontiguity
8.8

Being next to and touching each other so the two parts share a border

is broader, applying to very close proximity not limited to shared borders
touching
vscontiguity
2.5

Contact when two things are put together with no space between them

is a state of very close relation rather than the action itself

How Close

contiguity
1 8.7
adjacency
1 6.8
proximity
112 4.2
separation
89 2.6

Surface Forms

contiguity singular
contiguities plural

Morphology

contiguity = contiguous (transparent) = contigu + ity

Standard noun formation from the adjective 'contiguous' indicating a state or quality.

Etymology

Contiguity comes from Latin parts con- 'together' and tangere 'to touch', so it originally meant 'touching together'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of the English word 'touch' — contiguity means being next to or in direct contact with something.