spacetime

Etymology

From space + time, as a calque of German Raumzeit, introduced in this sense by Hermann Minkowski.

noun

1. (uncountable, physics) The four-dimensional continuum of the three spatial dimensions plus time.
   An event is a point in spacetime, specified by the coordinates x, y, z, and t.
2. (physics) An n-dimensional continuum consisting of dimensions of both space and time. Normally spacetime is considered as having 4 dimensions (x, y, z, t), but higher-dimensional spacetimes are often encountered in theoretical physics, e.g. the 5-dimensional spacetime of Kaluza-Klein theory or the 11 dimensions of spacetime in M-theory.
   a Minkowski spacetime
   a 5-dimensional spacetime
3. (relativity) A specific region of the universe with mathematically different properties than the surrounding spacetime. Synonymous with "metric" within the context of general relativity.
   a Schwarzschild spacetime
   a Reissner-Nordström spacetime