Etymologically
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regional

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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

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