n.
(pl. territories)
- an area under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state.
-
(Territory)
(especially in the US, Canada, or Australia) an organized division of a country not having the full rights of a state.
- Zoology an area defended by an animal against others of the same sex or species.
- an area defended by a team or player in a game or sport.
- an area in which one has certain rights or responsibilities.
- an area of knowledge or experience.
- land with a specified characteristic:
woodland territory.
Etymology
ME: from L. territorium, from terra ‘land’.