area

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A roughly bounded part of the space on a surface; a region: a farming area; the New York area.
2. n. A surface, especially an open, unoccupied piece of ground: a landing area; a playing area.
3. n. A distinct part or section, as of a building, set aside for a specific function: a storage area in the basement.
4. n. A division of experience, activity, or knowledge; a field: studies in the area of finance; a job in the health-care area.
5. n. An open, sunken space next to a building; an areaway.
6. n. The extent of a planar region or of the surface of a solid measured in square units.
7. n. Computer Science A section of storage set aside for a particular purpose.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Any plane surface within boundaries; the superficies of an inclosed or defined surface-space; the superficial contents of any figure or surface; superficial extent.
2. n. Any particular extent of surface; region; tract: as, the settled area of the United States.
3. n. The space or site on which a building stands; the yard attached to or surrounding a house; specifically, a sunken space or inclosure before windows or a door of a basement story.
4. n. A bald place on the head; a disease of the hair which causes it to fall off and leave bald patches.
5. n. In conchology, a space behind the apex of the shell, in certain bivalves, including the dorsal posterior side.
6. n. In Polyzoa, the calcareous surface outlined on the zoœcium by a raised ridge.
7. n. The area at the bottom of the internal auditory meatus giving passage to branches of the auditory nerve.
8. n. A term sometimes used to denote the separation that must be given to two esthesiometric points impressed upon the skin if the two stimuli are to be separately sensed; the limen of dual impression.

Wiktionary

1. n. mathematics A measure of the extent of a surface; it is measured in square units.
2. n. A particular geographic region.
3. n. Any particular extent of surface, especially an empty or unused extent.
4. n. Figuratively, any extent, scope or range of an object or concept.
5. n. UK An open space, below ground level, between the front of a house and the pavement.
6. n. soccer penalty box; penalty area
7. n. slang genitals

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Any plane surface, as of the floor of a room or church, or of the ground within an inclosure; an open space in a building.
2. n. The inclosed space on which a building stands.
3. n. The sunken space or court, giving ingress and affording light to the basement of a building.
4. n. An extent of surface; a tract of the earth's surface; a region.
5. n. (Geom.) The superficial contents of any figure; the surface included within any given lines; superficial extent.
6. n. (Biol.) A spot or small marked space.
7. n. Extent; scope; range.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
2. n. a part of an animal that has a special function or is supplied by a given artery or nerve
3. n. a particular environment or walk of life
4. n. the extent of a 2-dimensional surface enclosed within a boundary
5. n. a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function
6. n. a subject of study