country

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English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English contre, contree, contreie, from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin (terra) contrāta ((land) lying opposite; (land) spread before), derived from Latin contra (against, opposite). Cognate with Scots kintra.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

country (plural countries)

  1. (chiefly British) An area of land; a district, region. [from 13th c.]
    • 2010 March 7, David Vann, The Observer:
      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, speakers of the same language etc., or associated with a given person, occupation, species etc. [from 13th c.]
    • 2007 February 17, Chris Moss, The Guardian:
      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; a sovereign state. [from 14th c.]
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:country
    • 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, published 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.
  4. (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, London: [] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount [], →OCLC:
      I was borne and brought up in the Countrie, and amidst husbandry [].
    • 2000 March 4, Alexander Chancellor, The Guardian:
      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. Ellipsis of country music. [from 20th c.]
    a country song
    a country singer
    a country festival
  6. (mining) The rock through which a vein runs.

Usage notes[edit]

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.

Hyponyms[edit]

See also Thesaurus:country.

Hyponyms of country (noun)

Derived terms[edit]

Terms derived from country (noun)

Descendants[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Adjective[edit]

country (not comparable)

  1. From or in the countryside or connected with it.
  2. Of or connected to country music.
  3. (India, historical) Originating in India rather than being imported from Europe or elsewhere.
    • 1872, Silk in India, page 16:
      We have seen that the Company manufactured silk stuffs at three of its Residencies, but from country-wound silk.
    • 1884, Journal of the United Service Institution of India, page 185:
      A reference to the Annual Administration Reports of the Department of Horse-breeding Operations [] will allow of the opinion being arrived at, that the breed of country horses under the present regime is steadily improving.
    • 1937, Brigadier-General H. A. Young, The East India Company’s Arsenals & Manufactories:
      Country harness costs nearly as much, lasts half the time, and is in every respect inferior. It is understood that the only reason is that the Court desires to improve and encourage Indian manufactures.

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

  • country at OneLook Dictionary Search
  • country in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
  • "country" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 81.
  • country”, in The Century Dictionary [], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Finnish[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English country.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈkɑntri/, [ˈkɑ̝n̪t̪ri]

Noun[edit]

country

  1. country music

Declension[edit]

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 See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of country (type valo)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative countryni
accusative nom. countryni
gen. countryni
genitive countryni
partitive countryani
inessive countryssani
elative countrystani
illative countryyni
adessive countryllani
ablative countryltani
allative countrylleni
essive countrynani
translative countrykseni
instructive
abessive countryttani
comitative
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative countrysi
accusative nom. countrysi
gen. countrysi
genitive countrysi
partitive countryasi
inessive countryssasi
elative countrystasi
illative countryysi
adessive countryllasi
ablative countryltasi
allative countryllesi
essive countrynasi
translative countryksesi
instructive
abessive countryttasi
comitative
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative countrymme
accusative nom. countrymme
gen. countrymme
genitive countrymme
partitive countryamme
inessive countryssamme
elative countrystamme
illative countryymme
adessive countryllamme
ablative countryltamme
allative countryllemme
essive countrynamme
translative countryksemme
instructive
abessive countryttamme
comitative
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative countrynne
accusative nom. countrynne
gen. countrynne
genitive countrynne
partitive countryanne
inessive countryssanne
elative countrystanne
illative countryynne
adessive countryllanne
ablative countryltanne
allative countryllenne
essive countrynanne
translative countryksenne
instructive
abessive countryttanne
comitative
third-person possessor
singular plural
nominative countrynsa
accusative nom. countrynsa
gen. countrynsa
genitive countrynsa
partitive countryaan
countryansa
inessive countryssaan
countryssansa
elative countrystaan
countrystansa
illative countryynsa
adessive countryllaan
countryllansa
ablative countryltaan
countryltansa
allative countrylleen
countryllensa
essive countrynaan
countrynansa
translative countrykseen
countryksensa
instructive
abessive countryttaan
countryttansa
comitative

Synonyms[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English. Doublet of contrée.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

country m (uncountable)

  1. country music

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English country.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

country m (invariable)

  1. (music) country music

References[edit]

  1. ^ country in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Polish[edit]

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English country music.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈkan.trɨ/
  • Rhymes: -antrɨ
  • Syllabification: coun‧try

Noun[edit]

country n (indeclinable)

  1. country, country music

Derived terms[edit]

adjectives

Further reading[edit]

  • country in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • country in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English country.

The pronunciation reflects the incorrect belief that the <oun> represents /aʊn/ in the English etymon.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

country m (uncountable)

  1. country music

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English country.

Adjective[edit]

country m or n (feminine singular countryă, masculine plural countryi, feminine and neuter plural countrye)

  1. country (music)

Declension[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English country. Doublet of contrada.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

country m (uncountable)

  1. country music

Further reading[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English.

Noun[edit]

country c (uncountable)

  1. country music

Declension[edit]

Declension of country 
Uncountable
Indefinite Definite
Nominative country countryn
Genitive countrys countryns