Ship surrounds area in one dimension (6)

I believe the answer is:

linear

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'ship surrounds area in one dimension' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'ship surrounds area' is the wordplay.
'ship' becomes 'liner' (as in an ocean liner).
'surrounds' indicates putting letters inside.
'area' becomes 'a' (maths abbreviation).
'liner' enclosing 'a' is 'LINEAR'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for linear that I've seen before include "Like some ancient scripts" , "Nailer (anag.)" , "(Of narrative) sequential" , "Consisting of lines" , "In a straight line" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.

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