contiguity

English

Etymology

From the Late Latin contiguitās, from the Classical Latin contiguus (“bordering upon”), from contingō (“I touch or border upon”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɒntɪˈgjuːɪti/

Noun

contiguity (plural contiguities)

1. A state in which two or more physical objects are physically touching one another or in which sections of a plane border on one another.
   • 1958–1960, R.S. Peters, The Concept of Motivation, Routledge & Kegan Paul (second edition), chapter i: “Types of Explanation in Psychological Theories”, page 12:

     In the mechanical conception of ‘cause’ it is…demanded that there should be spatial and temporal contiguity between the movements involved.

Synonyms

• (state in which objects are physically touching): synapse (of neurons)

Translations

state in which objects are physically touching

• Bulgarian: допир
• Catalan: contigüitat (ca)
• French: contiguïté (fr) f
• Galician: contigüidade (gl) f

• Italian: contiguità (it) f
• Portuguese: contiguidade (pt) f, contigüidade (pt) f
• Romanian: contiguitate (ro) f
• Spanish: contigüidad (es) f

References

• “contiguity” in An American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, 1828.
• contiguity in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “contiguity” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
• Notes: