spacetime

Definition

The four-dimensional continuum of the three spatial dimensions plus time.

Etymology

From space + time, as a calque of German Raumzeit, introduced in this sense by Hermann Minkowski. First appears in print c. 1893 in the Philosophical Review.

Example Sentences

• "An event is a point in spacetime, specified by the coordinates x, y, z, and t."
• "a Minkowski spacetime"
• "a 5-dimensional spacetime"