Main Entry: prov·ince

Pronunciation: \ˈprä-vən(t)s\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin provincia

Date: 14th century

1 a : a country or region brought under the control of the ancient Roman government b : an administrative district or division of a country c plural : all of a country except the metropolises
2 a : a division of a country forming the jurisdiction of an archbishop or metropolitan b : a territorial unit of a religious order
3 a : a biogeographic division of less rank than a region b : an area that exhibits essential continuity of geological history; also : one characterized by particular structural or petrological features
4 a : proper or appropriate function or scope : sphere <that question is outside my province> b : a department of knowledge or activity

synonyms see function