Covering or extending across an entire area or region.
From 'area' (Latin areā, an open space) + 'wide' (Old English wīd, broad). Combined in English to describe something that spans a whole geographic zone.
This word became common in the mid-20th century when city planners and media needed language for regional coverage—you'll notice it appears frequently in 1970s municipal documents as suburban sprawl made area-level thinking necessary.
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