Carolinas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A region in the southeastern United States that historically refers to the area including the states of North Carolina and South Carolina
2. The geographic area comprising the states of North Carolina and South Carolina known for its history and culture
3. An area in the southeastern part of the US traditionally covering both North and South Carolina states

Etymology: The name "Carolina" honours a king, and the plural "Carolinas" is simply the two states named after him. Charles I of England, whose Latin name was "Carolus," gave his name to the territory, and "Carolina" is the Latinised form of that name, built from "Carolus" plus the suffix "-ina," a feminine diminutive ending. Read at face value, the word is a feminine pet form of "Carol," the given name, which is why the territory bears a name that sounds like a girl's diminutive of a man's name. The two states, North Carolina and South Carolina, were both named for Charles I of England, and the region was historically one colony before the split. The plural form "Carolinas" is used to refer to the pair together. The word shares a root with "Caroline," a doublet that entered English by a different route, so the two names are cousins that took separate paths into the language.