Regions

How to spell regions

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce regions

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does regions mean?

1. nounAreas or divisions of a country, the world, or a body, each with particular characteristics.

Regions in a sentence

• The wine is shipped to several regions across the country.

• Colder regions tend to have higher heating bills in winter.

Where does regions come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin regio, with the genitive form regionis, meaning a direction, a boundary line, or a district of territory. That noun was built on the verb regere, meaning 'to rule', 'to guide', or 'to draw a straight line', so a regio was originally an area marked out or governed within fixed limits. English took the word in through Old French as 'region' during the 1300s, when it described a tract of land or part of the world. The plural simply adds -s to the established singular, and the steady spelling means the common trap is hearing the soft 'g' and wondering whether a 'j' belongs there. The same regere root still drives a large family of English words including 'regime', 'regular', and 'regent', all of which carry the idea of ruling or keeping things in line.

How the word is built

• region (from Latin regio: district, direction)
• -s (plural)