Condo
/ˈkɑːndoʊ/
Definitions
An apartment or other dwelling that is individually owned within a building or complex that has multiple units.
/ˈkɑːndoʊ/
An individually owned apartment in a building with multiple units.
She decided to sell her condo and move to a smaller apartment.
💡 Simply: Imagine a big apartment building where each person owns their own apartment, but they share things like the hallways and the swimming pool. That's a condo! Like owning a slice of the building pie!
👶 For kids: A condo is like your own apartment in a building that shares stuff like the yard and the elevator.
More Examples
The couple are considering buying a condo near the beach.
The condo complex offers a swimming pool and a gym.
How It's Used
"They bought a condo in the city center."
"The condo association handles maintenance of the building's common areas."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Shortened from 'condominium,' borrowed from the Latin 'condominium,' meaning 'joint ownership' or 'shared dominion.' The term was popularized in the United States in the mid-20th century to describe a type of residential housing where units are individually owned while common areas are jointly owned.
The word 'condo' saw increased usage in the latter half of the 20th century with the rise in popularity of this type of housing, especially in urban environments.
Memory tip
Think of 'co' as in 'cooperative' ownership and 'do' as in 'dwelling'.
Word Origin
"joint dominion, joint ownership"