country
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English contre, contree, borrowed from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin (terra) contrata (“(land) lying opposite; (land) spread before”), derived from Latin contra (“against, opposite”). Cognate with Scots kintra.
PronunciationEdit
- enPR: kŭn'tri
- (UK, US, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈkʌntɹi/, [ˈkʰʌt͡ʃɹi], /ˈkʌntɹɪ/
- (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈkɐntɹi/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ʌntɹi
Audio (UK) (file) Audio (US) (file) - Hyphenation: coun‧try
NounEdit
country (plural countries)
- (chiefly British) An area of land; a district, region. [from 13th c.]
- 2010, David Vann, The Observer, 7 Mar 2010:
- We walk along flat, open country, red dirt and spinifex grass, a few short trees […].
- 2010, David Vann, The Observer, 7 Mar 2010:
- A set region of land having particular human occupation or agreed limits, especially inhabited by members of the same race, speakers of the same language etc., or associated with a given person, occupation, species etc. [from 13th c.]
- 2007, Chris Moss, The Guardian, 17 Feb 2007:
- This is condor country - the only region this far east where you can see the magnificent vulture - and a small national park straddling the passes, El Condorito, is a good stopover for walkers and birders.
- 2007, Chris Moss, The Guardian, 17 Feb 2007:
- The territory of a nation, especially an independent nation state or formerly independent nation; a political entity asserting ultimate authority over a geographical area; a sovereign state. [from 14th c.]
- 1935, George Goodchild, chapter 5, in Death on the Centre Court:
- By one o'clock the place was choc-a-bloc. […] The restaurant was packed, and the promenade between the two main courts and the subsidiary courts was thronged with healthy-looking youngish people, drawn to the Mecca of tennis from all parts of the country.
- 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, page 3:
- It is a beautiful country of rolling hills, fertile valleys, and a thousand rivers and streams which keep the landscape green even in winter.
- 2010, The Economist, 3 Feb 2011:
- These days corporate Germany looks rather different. Volkswagen, the country’s leading carmaker, wants to be the world’s biggest by 2018.
- 2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 68:
- The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them, which is then licensed to related businesses in high-tax countries, is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies.
- (uncountable, usually preceded by “the”) A rural area, as opposed to a town or city; the countryside. [from 16th c.]
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 17, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes, […], book II, printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
- I was borne and brought up in the Countrie, and amidst husbandry […].
- 2000, Alexander Chancellor, The Guardian, 4 Mar.:
- I have always thought that one of the main reasons for the popularity of blood sports in the country is the pointlessness of going outdoors with no purpose or destination in mind.
- Ellipsis of country music [from 20th c.]
- (mining) The rock through which a vein runs.
- (vulgar, countable) The female genitalia, especially the vagina.
- 1988, K.T. Oslin, "Hey Bobby"
- Hey Bobby
- Would you like to go for a ride in the country with me?
- 1988, K.T. Oslin, "Hey Bobby"
Usage notesEdit
The geographical sense of "country" usually refers to a sovereign state, that is, a nation with no administrative dependence on another one, which is the definition adopted in most world maps. In a broader sense, however, "country" may also refer to nations with some degree of autonomy and cultural identity but still under the sovereignty of another state. Examples of the latter include Scotland, Tibet, Abkhazia, and Greenland.
HyponymsEdit
Hyponyms of country (noun)
Derived termsEdit
Terms derived from country (noun)
DescendantsEdit
- Sranan Tongo: kondre
TranslationsEdit
region of land
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nation state
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the country, rural area, as opposed to the town or city
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country music
See alsoEdit
AdjectiveEdit
country (not comparable)
- From or in the countryside or connected with it.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
- When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.
- Of or connected to country music.
TranslationsEdit
of, from or pertaining to the countryside (adjective)
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Further readingEdit
- "country" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 81.
FinnishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from English country.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
country
DeclensionEdit
| Inflection of country (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | country | — | |
| genitive | countryn | — | |
| partitive | countrya | — | |
| illative | countryyn | — | |
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | country | — | |
| accusative | nom. | country | — |
| gen. | countryn | ||
| genitive | countryn | — | |
| partitive | countrya | — | |
| inessive | countryssa | — | |
| elative | countrysta | — | |
| illative | countryyn | — | |
| adessive | countrylla | — | |
| ablative | countrylta | — | |
| allative | countrylle | — | |
| essive | countryna | — | |
| translative | countryksi | — | |
| instructive | — | — | |
| abessive | countrytta | — | |
| comitative | — | — | |
SynonymsEdit
FrenchEdit
ItalianEdit
PortugueseEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from English country.
The pronunciation reflects the incorrect belief that the <oun> represents /aʊn/ in the English etymon.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
country m (uncountable)