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 autonomy2 a: an indeterminate geographic area b: a field of knowledge or interest3 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>