n.1. a. Political division of an area into partially autonomous regions.
b. Advocacy of such a political system.
2. Loyalty to the interests of a particular region.
3. A feature, such as an expression, a pronunciation, or a custom, that is characteristic of a geographic area.
4. The use of regional characteristics, as of locale, custom, or speech, in literature or art.
5. A policy whereby the interests of a nation in world affairs are defined in terms of particular countries or regions.