n.
- a principal administrative division of a country or empire.
▸
(the Province)
Brit. Northern Ireland.
▸Christian Church a district under an archbishop or a metropolitan.
▸Roman History a territory outside Italy under a Roman governor.
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(one's province)
an area in which one has special knowledge, interest, or responsibility.
-
(the provinces)
the whole of a country outside the capital, especially when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded.
Etymology
ME: from OFr., from L. provincia ‘charge, province’, of uncertain ultimate origin.