region

Etymology

From Middle English regioun, from Anglo-Norman regiun, from Latin regiō, from regō.

noun

1. Any considerable and connected part of a space or surface; specifically, a tract of land or sea of considerable but indefinite extent; a country; a district; in a broad sense, a place without special reference to location or extent but viewed as an entity for geographical, social or cultural reasons.
   the equatorial regions
   the temperate regions
   the polar regions
   the upper regions of the atmosphere
2. An administrative subdivision of a city, a territory, a country.
   1. (historical) Such a division of the city of Rome and of the territory about Rome, of which the number varied at different times; a district, quarter, or ward.
   2. An administrative subdivision of the European Union.
   3. A subnational region of Chile; equivalent to province.
   4. (Ontario) Ellipsis of regional municipality; a county-level municipality.
   5. Ellipsis of administrative region.
      1. A subprovincial region of Quebec; the primary level subdivision; a prefecture.
3. (figurative) The inhabitants of a region or district of a country.
4. (anatomy) A place in or a part of the body in any way indicated.
   the abdominal regions
5. (obsolete) Place; rank; station; dignity.
6. (obsolete) The space from the earth's surface out to the orbit of the moon: properly called the elemental region.