Origin: Latin suffix -ous
Contiguous has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
very close or connected in space or time
"contiguous events"
"immediate contact"
"the immediate vicinity"
"the immediate past"
connecting without a break; within a common boundary
"the 48 conterminous states"
"the contiguous 48 states"
having a common boundary or edge; abutting; touching
"Rhode Island has two bordering states; Massachusetts and Connecticut"
"the side of Germany conterminous with France"
"Utah and the contiguous state of Idaho"
"neighboring cities"
Connected; touching; abutting.
"The two countries share a long contiguous border along the river."
In plain English: Contiguous means touching each other without any space between them.
"The four states that share borders are contiguous, making up much of the region's population."
The word comes from the Latin contiguus, meaning "touching," which is derived from the verb contingere ("to touch"). It entered English to describe things that are in direct physical contact with one another.