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region

 - 7 dictionary results

re⋅gion

[ree-juhn]
–noun
1. an extensive, continuous part of a surface, space, or body: a region of the earth.
2. Usually, regions. the vast or indefinite entirety of a space or area, or something compared to one: the regions of the firmament; the regions of the mind.
3. a part of the earth's surface (land or sea) of considerable and usually indefinite extent: a tropical region.
4. a district without respect to boundaries or extent: a charming region in Connecticut.
5. a part or division of the universe, as the heavens: a galactic region.
6. a large indefinite area or range of something specified; sphere: a region of authority.
7. an area of interest, activity, pursuit, etc.; field: studies in the region of logic.
8. an administrative division of a city or territory.
9. Zoogeography. a major faunal area of the earth's surface, sometimes one regarded as a division of a larger area.
10. Anatomy. a place in or a division of the body or a part of the body: the abdominal region.
11. Mathematics.
a. Also called domain. an open connected set.
b. the union of such a set and some or all of its boundary points.

Origin:
1300–50; ME < AF regiun < L regiōn- (s. of regiō) direction, line, boundary, equiv. to reg(ere) to rule + -iōn- -ion


1. area, section, portion. 4. locale, site, tract, quarter.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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re·gion   (rē'jən)   
n.  
  1. A large, usually continuous segment of a surface or space; area.

  2. A large, indefinite portion of the earth's surface.

  3. A specified district or territory.

  4. An area of interest or activity; a sphere.

  5. Ecology A part of the earth characterized by distinctive animal or plant life.

  6. An area of the body having natural or arbitrarily assigned boundaries: the abdominal region.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin regiō, regiōn-, from regere, to rule; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

region 
c.1330, from Anglo-Fr. regioun, O.Fr. region, from L. regionem (nom. regio) "direction, boundary, district, country," from regere "to direct, rule" (see regal).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: re·gion
Pronunciation: 'rE-j&n
Function: noun
1 : any of the major subdivisions into which the body or one of its parts isdivisible regions of the abdomen>
2 : an indefinite area surrounding a specified body part region of the heart>
Medical Dictionary

region re·gion (rē'jən)
n.

  1. An area of the body having natural or arbitrary boundaries.

  2. A portion of the body having a special nervous or vascular supply.

  3. A part of an organ with a special function.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

region

see in the neighborhood (region) of.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Encyclopedia

region

in the social sciences, a cohesive area that is homogeneous in selected defining criteria and is distinguished from neighbouring areas or regions by those criteria. It is an intellectual construct created by the selection of features relevant to a particular problem and the disregard of other features considered to be irrelevant. A region is distinguished from an area, which is usually a broader concept designating a portion of the surface of the Earth. Area boundaries are arbitrary, established for convenience. Regional boundaries are determined by the homogeneity and cohesiveness of the section

Learn more about region with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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