Main Entry: ter·ri·to·ry

Pronunciation: \ˈter-ə-ˌtȯr-ē\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural -ries

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin territorium, literally, land around a town, from terra land — more at terrace

Date: 14th century

1 a : a geographic area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority b : an administrative subdivision of a country c : a part of the United States not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature d : a geographic area (as a colonial possession) dependent on an external government but having some degree of autonomy
2 a : an indeterminate geographic area b : a field of knowledge or interest
3 a : an assigned area; especially : one in which a sales representative or distributor operates b : an area often including a nesting or denning site and a variable foraging range that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

— go with the territory or come with the territory : to be a natural or unavoidable aspect or accompaniment of a particular situation, position, or field <criticism goes with the territory in this job>