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Glite Dictionary
Pays de la Loire

Pays de la Loire

7.7
A region in western France on the Atlantic coast known for farms and old towns
  • proper noun
translation icon : Países del Loira
  • They spent their summer holiday exploring castles in Pays de la Loire.

Examples

  • The vineyards of Pays de la Loire produce some acclaimed French wines.

  • Have you ever visited Pays de la Loire?

  • Many traditional festivals are held annually throughout Pays de la Loire.

  • The Pays de la Loire region is famous for its vineyards.

  • Many traditional festivals are held annually throughout Pays de la Loire.

  • The vineyards of Pays de la Loire produce some acclaimed French wines.

  • They spent their summer holiday exploring castles in Pays de la Loire.

Surface Forms

Pays de la Loire main

Morphology

Pays + de + la + Loire

The proper name is fully compositional: 'Pays' (country/land) + 'de la' (of the) + 'Loire' (the Loire river) yields 'land/region of the Loire', so a learner who knows these constituents can infer it refers to the area around the Loire. This toponymic pattern (X land/region of Y) is cross-linguistically common, so the meaning is transparent rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

Pays de la Loire comes from French words Pays meaning 'land' and Loire the name of the big river that runs through the area. It began as a simple name for the lands along the Loire, full of farms, towns and castles, so today it still means the region in western France.