regionalism

[ ree-juh-nl-iz-uh m ]
/ ˈri dʒə nlˌɪz əm /

noun

Government. the principle or system of dividing a city, state, etc., into separate administrative regions.
advocacy of such a principle or system.
a speech form, expression, custom, or other feature peculiar to or characteristic of a particular area.
devotion to the interests of one's own region.
Literature. the theory or practice of emphasizing the regional characteristics of locale or setting, as by stressing local speech.
(often initial capital letter) a style of American painting developed chiefly 1930–40 in which subject matter was derived principally from rural areas.

Origin of regionalism

First recorded in 1880–85; regional + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM regionalism

re·gion·al·ist, noun, adjective re·gion·al·is·tic, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for regionalism

British Dictionary definitions for regionalism

regionalism
/ (ˈriːdʒənəˌlɪzəm) /

noun

division of a country into administrative regions having partial autonomy
advocacy of such division
loyalty to one's home region; regional patriotism
the common interests of national groups, people, etc, living in the same part of the world
a word, custom, accent, or other characteristic associated with a specific region

Derived forms of regionalism

regionalist, noun, adjective