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coterminous

coterminous

1 9.6
Having the same limits in space, time, or meaning as something else
  • adjective
  • /koʊˈtɜːrmɪnəs/
  • Formal
translation icon : cotermino
  • The two countries are coterminous, sharing a common border that stretches for hundreds of miles.
  • coterminous with national boundaries
  • become coterminous

And we've got our own Rust Belt here in Britain, roughly coterminous with the with the Red Wall.

Examples

  • The contract's duration is coterminous with the completion of the project, ensuring full alignment in timing.

  • Her interests in music and art are coterminous, often overlapping in her creative projects.

  • It's not making any claims about your mind being coterminous with the rest of the physical world.

  • The agencies' authority would be coterminous with the territory involved in the transport problem.

    Blog text (17)
  • Justice and goodness are essentially coterminous or the same thing within God.

  • At its most basic level, academic freedom enacts a function coterminous with the First Amendment right of free speech.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Before independence in Tanzania, race and class were nearly coterminous.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Finally, some communities can be virtually coterminous with class; for example, working-class mining villages.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The general movement downhill in academe was originally coterminous with a period of rapid expansion in the American, Canadian, and European university world.

    Academic text (1999)
  • At the time of European colonization, the coterminous United States had an estimated 221 million acres of wetlands.

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

coextensive
vscoterminous
  • Formal
1 8.8

Having the same area or time as something else

emphasizes equal boundaries and scope rather than range wording
conterminous
vscoterminous
  • Formal
9.9

Having the same limits or lasting the same time as something else

has identical meaning but is the alternative spelling or form
coincident
vscoterminous
  • Specialized
7.1

In exactly the same place at the same time

applies to equal extent or duration rather than single point overlap

How Overlapping

coterminous
  • Formal
1 9.6
adjacent
100 3.8
separate
829 2.1

Surface Forms

coterminous positive

Morphology

coterminous = terminous (semi-transparent) = co + termin + ous

While 'co-' and 'terminous' suggest shared boundaries, the specific meaning of 'coterminous' is not immediately obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Coterminous comes from co- 'together' and terminus 'end' or 'boundary', and you can see the same root in the common word term. So coterminous means two things share the same end or limits in time or space.