condominium

noun

con·​do·​min·​i·​um ˌkän-də-ˈmi-nē-əm 

plural condominiums also condominia ˌkän-də-ˈmi-nē-ə 

1

a

: joint dominion

especially : joint sovereignty by two or more nations

b

: a government operating under joint rule

2

: a politically dependent territory under condominium

3

a

: individual ownership of a unit in a multiunit structure (such as an apartment building) or on land owned in common (such as a town house complex)

also : a unit so owned

b

: a building containing condominiums

Examples of condominium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There were no fatalities but two people were seriously injured with severe burns from a powerful explosion Tuesday night that destroyed several condominiums and heavily damaged others in Orion Township, authorities confirmed on Wednesday. —Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 20 Nov. 2024

Not to be outdone, another person told me of a bear that opened the sliding glass door to a condominium and proceeded to raid the refrigerator. —Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 18 Nov. 2024

Reger recently opened The Linden, a condominium high-rise at 313 W. 17th St. in downtown Austin. —Shonda Novak, Austin American-Statesman, 12 Nov. 2024

Elissa Wallis, a spokesperson for Four Seasons locations in the Americas, emphasized that the incident happened outside the hotel’s portion of the high-rise, in a residential condominium that is not managed by the hospitality company. —Dennis Romero, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin com- + dominium domain

First Known Use

circa 1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

condominium

noun

con·​do·​min·​i·​um ˌkän-də-ˈmin-ē-əm 

: an individually owned unit in a structure (as an apartment building) with many units

Etymology

derived from Latin condominium "joint rule or ownership," from earlier con-, com- "together" and dominium "ownership, rule," from dominus "master, owner" — related to domain, dominate

Legal Definition

condominium

noun

con·​do·​min·​i·​um ˌkän-də-ˈmi-nē-əm 

plural condominiums

1

: ownership of real property that is characterized by separate ownership of portions of the property (as units in an apartment building) and undivided or joint ownership of the remainder (as the common areas of an apartment building)

the conversion of real property to the condominium form of ownership

—Troy Ltd. v. Renna, 727 F.2d 287 (1984)

compare cooperative

2

: real property (as an apartment or building) having condominium ownership

a two-bedroom condominium

Etymology

New Latin, joint dominion, from Latin com- with, together + dominium rule, ownership