Abuttal

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈbʌt.l̩/

Definitions

1. The state of being neighboring or contiguous, often relating to properties that share a limit or border
2. A legal concept indicating the proximity and shared boundaries between two parcels of land
3. The condition of properties touching along a common boundary ; a legal term describing the adjacency of two land plots

Etymology: "Abuttal" is a simple formation: the verb "abut," meaning to border on or touch along an edge, plus the suffix "-al," which turns it into a noun naming the act or result of that adjoining. The suffix came into English through Middle English "-al," which had been borrowed from Old French "-al" and "-el," themselves descended from Latin "-ālis," an adjective-forming ending meaning "pertaining to." So a noun like this one names the state of bordering, the point or line where one property meets another. The verb "abut" is the older part of the story. It derives from the Old French "abouter," built from "a-" (to) and "bout" (end or extremity), so the core image is two things joined end to end. Surveyors and property lawyers adopted the word for exactly that picture, and "abuttal" came to refer to the boundaries themselves, the lines along which neighbouring parcels touch. The legal sense therefore keeps the literal physical meaning of "bout" as an end point.

Synonyms: adjacency, border, proximity