province

[prov-ins]

noun

1. an administrative division or unit of a country.

2. the provinces,

   1. the parts of a country outside of the capital or the largest cities.

   2. (in England) all parts of the country outside of London.

3. a country, territory, district, or region.

4. Geography.,  physiographic province.

5. a department or branch of learning or activity.

   the province of mathematics.

   Synonyms: area

6. sphere or field of activity or authority, as of a person; office, function, or business.

   Such decisions do not lie within his province.

7. a major subdivision of British India.

8. an ecclesiastical territorial division, as that within which an archbishop or a metropolitan exercises jurisdiction.

9. History/Historical.

   1. any of the North American colonies now forming major administrative divisions of Canada.

   2. any of certain colonies of Great Britain which are now part of the U.S.

10. Roman History.,  a country or territory outside of Italy, brought under the ancient Roman dominion and administered by a governor sent from Rome.

11. Mining.,  an individual mineral-producing area.

province

/ ˈprɒvɪns /

noun

1. a territory governed as a unit of a country or empire

2. a district, territory, or region

3. (plural) those parts of a country lying outside the capital and other large cities and regarded as outside the mainstream of sophisticated culture

4. ecology a subdivision of a region, characterized by a particular fauna and flora

5. an area or branch of learning, activity, etc

6. the field or extent of a person's activities or office

7. RC Church Church of England an ecclesiastical territory, usually consisting of several dioceses, and having an archbishop or metropolitan at its head

8. a major administrative and territorial subdivision of a religious order

9. history a region of the Roman Empire outside Italy ruled by a governor from Rome

Other Word Forms

• subprovince noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of province¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin prōvincia “province, official charge”

Word History and Origins

Origin of province¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin prōvincia conquered territory

Example Sentences

Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will, in time, be part of the country.

Read more on BBC

From Beijing’s standpoint, Taiwan is a province of China, and the rest of the world has no right to interfere in how China treats it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In Imbabura province, where Indigenous protesters blocking roads clashed with security forces -- leaving at least two dead -- more than two-thirds of the population voted "No" to the referendum's four questions.

Read more on Barron's

The Bloc Quebecois, which promotes independence for the French-speaking province, has 22 seats.

Read more on Barron's

The oil-rich province of Alberta has had one demand for Prime Minister Mark Carney: Help us build an oil pipeline — and fast.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• colony 
• county 
• department 
• district 
• part 
• region 
• territory 
• zone