Lorraine

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A region in northeastern France known for its historical significance and cultural heritage
2. A historic province that has seen various territorial changes and influences over the centuries
3. Associated with a distinctive style of cuisine and traditional crafts, celebrated in local festivals

Etymology: Lorraine takes its name from a ninth-century king. Lothair II, a son of the Emperor Lothair I, received a kingdom carved from the middle of the Carolingian empire after the Treaty of Verdun in 843, and it was named "Lotharingia" after him, meaning "land of Lothair." The name outlived the kingdom itself, which broke apart after his death in 869, and it survived in the Latin and Romance forms that eventually reached English. The name passed into Old French as "loherenc," the adjective meaning "Lotharingian," and the region became known in French as "Loherraine." English borrowed it in Middle English as "Loreyne," so the modern spelling is a later refinement of a form that had already been shaped by centuries of French usage. The German name, "Lothringen," preserves the same ancestor, showing how one royal name branched into different national forms.

Synonyms: Lorraine region, Alsace-Lorraine