Oblasts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to refer to administrative regions or units within a country, especially in Eastern Europe and Russia
2. Denotes divisions that serve as geographical and political sections for governance purposes
3. Refers to areas defined for the organization and administration of local government activities and responsibilities

Etymology: "Oblasts" is simply the plural of "oblast," the name for the main first-level administrative division of Russia and several other countries. Its roots run deep into the Slavic past: the Proto-Slavic form was built from a prefix meaning "over" and a stem meaning "rule, power, authority," so the original sense was roughly "a region ruled over." That literal meaning survived into the Old Church Slavonic word "oblastĭ," which passed into Russian as "óblastʹ," meaning "region" or "province." The word is thus a compound whose two parts both carry the idea of governance: the territory is defined by who holds power over it, not by its landscape or borders alone.

Synonyms: regions, provinces, districts, administrative divisions, territories