# no man's land

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈnoʊˌmænzˌlænd/

## Definitions
1. The ground between trenches where a soldier from either side would be easily targeted.
2. A space amidships used to keep blocks, ropes, etc.; a space on a ship belonging to no one in particular for which to care.
3. The part of a prison, hospital complex, etc. where individuals are not normally allowed to enter.
4. A place where no one can or should be present.
5. The area between the backcourt and the space close to the net, from which it is difficult to return the ball.
6. An area of the field where a fielder cannot save a single, nor stop a boundary.
7. Territory that is often disputed, and that cannot be inhabited because of fear of conflict, especially:
8. Territory that is often disputed, and that cannot be inhabited because of fear of conflict, especially:
9. Territory that is often disputed, and that cannot be inhabited because of fear of conflict, especially:
10. The fibrous sheath of the flexor tendons of the hand, specifically in the zone from the distal palmar crease to the proximal interphalangeal joint.

## Etymology
Originally from Middle English Nomanneslond, which first appears c. 1350. Revived with new senses in a dispatch printed in the Times newspaper by Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton writing as "Eyewitness".

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/no-man-s-land