regional

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈriː.dʒᵊn.ᵊl/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English regionale,^[2] borrowed from Late Latin regiōnālis (“of a region or province”),^[2][3] from Latin regiō (“direction, boundary, region”),^[2][3] from regere (“to direct, rule”).^[2] It is related to region.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or peculiar to a particular place or country: the early 15th century in Etymonline^[2] and the 15th century in Merriam-Webster.^[3] The OED's first example is from 1654.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Of a special part of the body it is from 1861,^[4] and regional metamorphism in geology, translating French, from 1859.^[4] Of a broadcasting region it is from 1929,^[4] and the BBC's Regional radio service of the 1930s was the Regional.^[4] The noun, a regional newspaper, stock exchange or branch, is from 1958.^[4] In British use it also means relating to the regions of a country as opposed to the capital, as in a regional accent.^[5]

Timeline

• early 15th century – of a particular place.^[2]
• 1654 – of a region or district.^[4]
• 1859 – regional metamorphism.^[4]
• 1861 – of a part of the body.^[4]
• 1929 – of a broadcasting region.^[4]
• 1958 – noun.^[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Of a large geographical region.
2. Of a particular region or district; local.
3. Of a variety of a language spoken in a particular area, such as a dialect.
4. (British) Of the regions rather than the capital: a regional accent.

Noun

1. Something that serves a region, such as a branch or newspaper.

Word family

• regionally
• interregional
• regionalism
• regionalize

Related words

• region
• rule
• regent
• regime

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press