■ noun
1》 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.
2》 ( one's ~ ) an area in which one has special knowledge, interest, or responsibility.
3》 ( the ~s ) the whole of a country outside the capital, especially when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded.
Origin
ME: from OFr., from L. provincia 'charge, ~', of uncertain ultimate origin.