The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Area \A"re*a\ ([=a]"r[-e]*[.a]; 277), n.; pl. Areas (-[.a]z) .
   [L. area a broad piece of level ground. Cf. Are, n.]
   1. Any plane surface, as of the floor of a room or church, or
      of the ground within an inclosure; an open space in a
      building.
      [1913 Webster]

            The Alban lake . . . looks like the area of some
            vast amphitheater.                    --Addison.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The inclosed space on which a building stands.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. The sunken space or court, giving ingress and affording
      light to the basement of a building.
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   4. An extent of surface; a tract of the earth's surface; a
      region; as, vast uncultivated areas.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. (Geom.) The superficial contents of any figure; the
      surface included within any given lines; superficial
      extent; as, the area of a square or a triangle.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. (Biol.) A spot or small marked space; as, the germinative
      area.
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   7. Extent; scope; range; as, a wide area of thought.
      [1913 Webster]

            The largest area of human history and man's common
            nature.                               --F. Harrison.
      [1913 Webster]

   Dry area. See under Dry.
      [1913 Webster] Aread

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

area
    n 1: a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary
         (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by
         its people or culture or geography); "it was a mountainous
         area"; "Bible country" [syn: area, country]
    2: a subject of study; "it was his area of specialization";
       "areas of interest include..."
    3: a part of an animal that has a special function or is
       supplied by a given artery or nerve; "in the abdominal
       region" [syn: area, region]
    4: a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere
       is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's out
       of my orbit" [syn: sphere, domain, area, orbit,
       field, arena]
    5: a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or
       function; "the spacious cooking area provided plenty of room
       for servants"
    6: the extent of a 2-dimensional surface enclosed within a
       boundary; "the area of a rectangle"; "it was about 500 square
       feet in area" [syn: area, expanse, surface area]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

199 Moby Thesaurus words for "area":
   abode, academic discipline, academic specialty, acreage, airspace,
   amplitude, applied science, arena, arrondissement, art, bag,
   bailiwick, bearings, beat, belt, bench mark, bigness, block, body,
   breadth, bulk, caliber, circuit, classical education, close,
   compass, concern, confines, continental shelf, continuum,
   core curriculum, corridor, country, course, course of study, court,
   courtyard, coverage, cup of tea, curriculum, demesne, department,
   department of knowledge, depth, diameter, dimension, dimensions,
   discipline, district, division, domain, elective, emplacement,
   emptiness, empty space, enclosure, environs, expanse, expansion,
   extension, extent, field, field of inquiry, field of study, forte,
   galactic space, gauge, general education, general studies, girth,
   greatness, ground, heartland, height, hinterland, hole, humanities,
   infinite space, interstellar space, land, largeness,
   latitude and longitude, length, liberal arts, lieu, limit, line,
   locale, locality, location, locus, long suit, lot, magnitude,
   main interest, major, manner, mass, measure, measurement, metier,
   milieu, minor, natural science, neighborhood, nothingness,
   offshore rights, ology, orb, orbit, outer space, parade, part,
   parts, pet subject, pinpoint, place, placement, plot, point,
   position, precinct, precincts, premises, proportion, proportions,
   proseminar, province, pure science, purlieus, pursuit, quadrivium,
   quarter, radius, range, reach, realm, refresher course, region,
   room, round, salient, scale, science, scientific education, scope,
   section, seminar, site, situation, situs, size, social science,
   soil, space, spatial extension, specialism, speciality,
   specialization, specialty, sphere, spot, spread, square, stead,
   stretch, strong point, study, style, subdiscipline, subject,
   superficial extension, surface, technical education, technicality,
   technicology, technics, technology, terrain, territory, thing,
   three-mile limit, tract, trivium, twelve-mile limit, type,
   vicinage, vicinity, vocation, void, volume, walk, way, weakness,
   whereabout, whereabouts, width, yard, zone



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

AREA. An enclosed yard or opening in a house; an open place adjoining to a
house. 1 Chit. Pr. 176.