province

Where does the word "province" come from? It comes from Latin provincia, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Province’s story begins in Latin: provincia meant “area of command.” A territory under a Roman magistrate; Provence in France is named after it. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as province. Used for church and royal divisions. It reached English by 1300s as province. 'provincial' came to mean unsophisticated. Today, province means a main administrative division of a country.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient provincia "area of command", a territory under a Roman magistrate; Provence in France is named after it.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval province "territory, region", used for church and royal divisions.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s province "a region", 'provincial' came to mean unsophisticated.