Trijunction

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The single point at which the boundaries of three countries, regions or territories converge and meet together
2. A place where three separate borders or dividing lines come together at one common spot on a map
3. The meeting point of three distinct territorial boundaries, where three separate areas touch at a single location

Etymology: "Trijunction" is one of those words whose history is simply its construction: it is formed from the prefix "tri-", meaning three, joined to "junction", a meeting or joining point. The result names a place where three things meet, most often where three borders or boundaries converge, such as three countries or three states sharing a single point. The first half, "tri-", comes from Latin and Greek roots meaning "three," a prefix that English uses freely in words like "triangle" and "tricycle." The second half, "junction," comes from Latin "iunctio," a joining, from "iungere," to join, which is also the root behind "join" and "conjunction." Putting the two together gives a compact, literal description of a three-way meeting point, and the word has stayed close to that plain sense throughout its use.

Synonyms: tripoint