Country

Pronunciation

• enPR: kÅ­n'tri, IPA: /ˈkÊŒntɹi/
• Rhymes: -ÊŒntɹi
• Hyphenation: coun + try

Origin

Middle English contree, contre, from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin (terra) contrata ("(land) lying opposite; (land) spread before"), derived from contra ("against, opposite").

Full definition of country

Noun

1. (archaic) 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 ....
2. A set region of land having particular human occupation or agreed limits, especially inhabited by members of the same race, language speakers 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.
3. The territory of a nation, especially an independent nation state or formerly independent nation; a political entity asserting ultimate authority over a geographical area. from 14th c.
• 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 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.
• 2013-06-22, T time, 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.
4. (the country, rural area, as opposed to the town or city)(usually preceded by “the”) A rural area, as opposed to a town or city; the countryside. from 16th c.
• 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.17:I was borne and brought up in the Countrie, and amidst husbandry ....
• 2000, Alexander Chancellor, The Guardian, 4 Mar 2000: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.
5. Country music. from 20th c.
6. (mining) The rock through which a vein runs.

Derived terms

Adjective

1. From or in the countryside or connected with it.
• 1898, Winston Churchill, The Celebrity Chapter 5, 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.
2. Of or connected to country music.