country
pronunciation
How to pronounce country in British English:
UK [ˈkʌntri]
How to pronounce country in American English:
US [ˈkʌntri]
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- Noun:
- the territory occupied by a nation
- a politically organized body of people under a single government
- the people who live in a nation or country
- an area outside of cities and towns
- a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
Word Origin
- country
- country: [13] Etymologically, the meaning of country is virtually ‘surroundings’. It originated in medieval Latin contrātus ‘lying on the opposite side’, an adjective formed from the proposition contrā ‘against, opposite’. This was used in the phrase terra contrāta ‘land opposite or before one, spread out around one’, and soon broke free to act as a noun in its own right.In Old French it became cuntree, the form in which it was borrowed into English. Its original notion of ‘area of land’ had quickly become narrowed down to ‘district controlled or occupied by a particular people’, hence ‘nation’, but its use for ‘rural areas as opposed to cities’ does not seem to have developed until the 16th century. The compound countryside originated in Scotland and northern England, probably in the 17th century.
- country (n.)
- mid-13c., "district, native land," from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin *(terra) contrata "(land) lying opposite," or "(land) spread before one," from Latin contra "opposite, against" (see contra-). Sense narrowed 1520s to rural areas, as opposed to cities. Replaced Old English land. As an adjective from late 14c. First record of country-and-western music style is from 1942. Country club first recorded 1886. Country mile "a long way" is from 1915, American English.
Antonym
Example
- 1. Does he like that country ?
- 2. The country bans homosexuality outright .
- 3. South africa is a beautiful country .
- 4. Our country yearns for reform .
- 5. It is the trademark of the country .