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Say I have the concept of a "Range", which is basically an "Interval" in Mathematics. If a range is inclusive ("closed") on one end and exclusive on the other, it has the following property:

It can be placed immediately before or after another range with the same inclusiveness of both endpoints and leave no gaps or overlapping.

For example, given the ranges 0-5 and 5-10, if their starts are inclusive and their ends are exclusive, they can be appended to form the range 0-10. However, if their starts and ends are both inclusive or exclusive then appending them will result in either an overlap or a gap.

What is the most suitable adjective or adjectival phrase I can use to describe a range that has this property? The best I can think of is tessellatable, which is really more about geometry and seems uncommon.

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  • Assuming you're dealing with real numbers, what's wrong with continuous or, if you must, uniformly continuous?
    – John Lawler
    Commented Jun 14, 2013 at 13:16
  • You seem to be looking at things that align on their borders (i.e., leaving no gap or forming no overlap). A term similar to (but not) coterminous should be apt, except that the termini here are not both outer ends but the outer of the first and inner of the second. This is an involved case and therefore may be difficult to express in a single word. Would a short phrase do?
    – Kris
    Commented Jun 14, 2013 at 14:46
  • Are you asking this on ELU because you have made sure no term already exists in mathematics?
    – Kris
    Commented Jun 14, 2013 at 14:47
  • 'Space-filling' is not necessarily confined to 3-D space.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jun 14, 2013 at 16:13
  • @JohnLawler, to me, continuous would make sense when describing a pair of such ranges, but when using the word to describe an individual range with this property, I don't think it helps indicate this.
    – Sam
    Commented Jun 15, 2013 at 0:18

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One could call the ranges buttable, meaning capable of being butted:-

To join or be joined end to end; abut.

or, if you think that too redolent of hogsheads or marauding rams, abuttable:-

v.intr. To touch or end at one end or side; lie adjacent.

v.tr. 1. To border upon or end at; be next to.

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