What does "local" mean?

1. (nearby) relating to the particular area you are in or the area where you live. 2. (computing) connected directly to your computer or accessible without using the internet. 3. (medical) affecting only one part of the body. 4. (a resident) a person who lives in a particular area or town. 5. (a pub) the pub or bar that is nearest to your home and where you go often. 6. (organisation branch) a small, nearby branch of a large organisation like a workers' union.

local

adj. · n.

US //ˈɫoʊkəɫ// UK //lˈəʊkəl// lo·cal

1 nearby (adj.)
A2 Elementary

relating to the particular area you are in or the area where you live.

pertaining to a particular area, neighbourhood, or town; restricted to a specific place.

Example

We always try to buy local vegetables from the market down the street.

Example

The local council met last night to discuss the proposed changes to the town's parking regulations.
2 computing (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Computing

connected directly to your computer or accessible without using the internet.

relating to a computer or device that is directly accessible to a user, rather than one accessed via a network.

Example

You should save a local copy of the file in case the internet goes down.

Example

The application stores user preferences in a local database to ensure the interface remains responsive during network outages.
- offline
- internal
- remote
- cloud

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3 medical (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Medicine

affecting only one part of the body.

affecting or involving only a restricted part of an organism or body.

Example

The doctor gave her a local anaesthetic so she wouldn't feel the needle.

Example

The patient experienced a local reaction to the sting, characterized by redness and swelling confined to the site of the injury.
- topical
- limited
- systemic
- general
4 a resident (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a person who lives in a particular area or town.

an inhabitant of a particular area or neighbourhood.

Example

The locals were very friendly and showed us the best places to eat.

Example

The new development was met with significant opposition from locals who feared it would destroy the village's character.
- resident
- native
5 a pub (n.)
B1 Intermediate British English Informal

the pub or bar that is nearest to your home and where you go often.

a person's nearest or most regularly frequented public house.

Example

I'm just heading down to the local for a quick drink with my neighbours.

Example

After the football match, the entire team gathered at the local to celebrate their victory.
6 organisation branch (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a small, nearby branch of a large organisation like a workers' union.

a local branch of a national or international organisation, especially a trade union.

Example

The union local voted to go on strike after the talks failed.

Example

Representatives from the union local met with management to negotiate better safety protocols for the factory floor.
- headquarters

Origin

From Middle English local, from Late Latin locālis (“belonging to a place”), possibly also via Old French local; ultimately from Latin locus (“a place”). The ring-theoretic senses derive from Krull, who first referred to Noetherian commutative rings with a unique maximal ideal as "Stellenring" (Stellen (“place”) + ring) in 1938. The term was inspired by algebraic geometry, where local rings encode information about the behavior of curves (surfaces, etc.) at points; hence, describe "local" behavior.