“provinces” is a form of
province
UK /ˈpɹɒv.ɪns/ · US /ˈpɹɔv.ɪns/ noun, proper noun
Forms provinces
- noun A region of the earth or of a continent; a district or country.
- noun An administrative subdivision of certain countries, including Canada and China.
- noun (historical, Ancient Rome, Roman Empire) An area outside Italy which is administered by a Roman governor or prefect.
- noun (Christianity) An area under the jurisdiction of an archbishop, typically comprising a number of adjacent dioceses.
- noun (Roman Catholicism) An area under the jurisdiction of a provincial within a monastic order.
- noun (in the plural, chiefly with definite article) The parts of a country outside its national capital.
- noun (geology) A major region defined by common geologic attributes and history.
- noun An area of activity, responsibility or knowledge; the proper concern of a particular person or concept.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
circuit tao dao route lu eparchy countryside flyover country state responsibility
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English provynce, from Anglo-Norman province, Old French province, from Latin prōvincia, seemingly corresponding to prō- (“forward”) + vinciō (“to bind, bind about, fetter, tie, fasten, surround, encircle”). Displaced Old English boldġetæl.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A country or region, more or less remote from the city of Rome, brought under the Roman government; a conquered country beyond the limits of Italy. Wyclif (Acts xiii. 34). Milton.
- noun A country or region dependent on a distant authority; a portion of an empire or state, esp. one remote from the capital. "Kingdoms and provinces." Shak.
Etymology [F., fr. L. provincia; prob. fr. pro before, for + the root of vincere to conquer. See Victor.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “province”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details