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country

 
Dictionary: coun·try   (kŭn'trē) pronunciation
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n., pl., -tries.
    1. A nation or state.
    2. The territory of a nation or state; land.
    3. The people of a nation or state; populace: The whole country will profit from the new economic reforms.
  2. The land of a person's birth or citizenship: Foreign travel is restricted in his country.
  3. A region, territory, or large tract of land distinguishable by features of topography, biology, or culture: hill country; Bible country.
  4. An area or expanse outside cities and towns; a rural area: a vacation in the country.
  5. Law. A jury.
  6. Informal. Country music.
adj.
  1. Of, relating to, or typical of the country: a country road; country cooking.
  2. Of or relating to country music.
idiom:

in country

  1. In Vietnam during the period of U.S. military operations there: "He'd been in country a month longer than the other four" (Nelson DeMille).

[Middle English countre, from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin *(terra) contrāta, (land) opposite, before, from Latin contrā, opposite.]


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Thesaurus: country
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noun

  1. An organized geopolitical unit: body politic, land, nation, polity, state. See politics, territory.
  2. A particular area used for or associated with a specific individual or activity: district, region, terrain, territory. Slang turf. See territory.
  3. A rural area: countryside, God's country. See urban/rural.

adjective

    Of or relating to the countryside: arcadian, bucolic, campestral, pastoral, provincial, rural, rustic. Informal hick. See urban/rural.

Antonyms: country
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adj

Definition: rural, pastoral
Antonyms: city, metropolitan, urban

n

Definition: rural area; area away from city
Antonyms: city, metropolis, urbanity

Word Tutor: country
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: An area of wooded land. Also: the whole land of a nation.

pronunciation Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country. — Cicero (106-43 BC).

Tutor's tip: John F. Kennedy made this line famous in our times.

Quotes About: Country
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Quotes:

"It began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between." - Diane Ackerman

"Colonies do not cease to be colonies because they are independent." - Benjamin Disraeli

"It may be true that you can't fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country." - William J. Durant

"Shall we then judge a country by the majority, or by the minority? By the minority, surely. 'Tis pedantry to estimate nations by the census, or by square miles of land, or other than by their importance to the mind of the time." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi

"My country is the world; my countrymen are mankind." - William Lloyd Garrison

See more famous quotes about Country

Wikipedia: Country
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
For other uses, see Country (disambiguation).
European topographical map
Same map as above, but showing sovereign states widely accepted by the UN instead of topographies

In geography, a country is a geographical region. The term is often applied to a political division or the territory of a state, or to a smaller, or former, political division of a geographical region. Usually, but not always, a country coincides with a sovereign territory and is associated with a state, nation and government.

The country can also mean the countryside, as opposed to the city.

In common usage, the term country is used in the sense of both nations and states, with definitions varying. In some cases it is used to refer both to states and to other political entities,[1][2][3] while in some occasions it refers only to states[4] It is not uncommon for general information or statistical publications to adopt the wider definition for purposes such as illustration and comparison.[5][6][7][8][9]

Some cohesive geographical entities, which were formerly sovereign states, are commonly regarded and referred to still as countries; such as England, Scotland and Wales – in the United Kingdom.[10][11][12][13] Historically, the countries of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia were others. Former states such as Bavaria (now part of Germany) and Piedmont (now part of Italy) would not normally be referred to as "countries" in contemporary English. The degree of autonomy of non-state countries varies widely. Some are possessions of states, as several states have overseas dependencies (such as the British Virgin Islands, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and American Samoa), with territory and citizenry distinct from their own. Such dependent territories are sometimes listed together with independent states on lists of countries, and may be treated as a "country of origin" in international trade, as Hong Kong is. Some countries are divided among several states, such as Korea and Kurdistan.

Contents

Etymology and development of the word

Country has developed from the Latin contra, meaning "against", used in the sense of "that which lies against, or opposite to, the view", i.e. the landscape spread out to the view. From this came the Late Latin term contrata, which became the modern Italian contrada. The term appears in Middle English from the 13th century, already in several different senses.[14]

In English the word has increasingly become associated with political divisions, so that one sense, associated with the indefinite article - "a country" - is now a synonym for state, or a former sovereign state, in the sense of sovereign territory.[15] Areas much smaller than a political state may be called by names such as the West Country in England, the Black Country (a heavily industrialized part of England), "Constable Country" (a part of East Anglia painted by John Constable), the "big country" (used in various contexts of the American West), "coal country" (used of parts of the US and elsewhere) and many other terms.[16]

The equivalent terms in French and Romance languages (pays and variants) have not carried the process of being identified with political sovereign states as far as the English "country", and in many European countries the words are used for sub-divisions of the national territory, as in the German Länder, as well as a less formal term for a sovereign state. France has very many "pays" that are officially recognised at some level, and are either natural regions, like the Pays de Bray, or reflect old political or economic unities, like the Pays de la Loire. At the same time Wales, the United States, and Brazil are also "pays" in everyday French speech.

A version of "country" can be found in the modern French language as contrée, based on the word cuntrée in Old French[16], that is used similarly to the word "pays" to define regions and unities, but can also be used to describe a political state in some particular cases. The modern Italian contrada is a word with its meaning varying locally, but usually meaning a ward or similar small division of a town, or a village or hamlet in the countryside.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Acts Interpretation Act 1901 - Sect 22: Meaning of certain words". Australasian Legal Information Institute. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/aia1901230/s22.html. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  2. ^ "The Kwet Koe v Minister for Immigration & Ethnic Affairs & Ors [1997] FCA 912 (8 September 1997)". Australasian Legal Information Institute. http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/disp.pl/au/cases/cth/federal%5fct/1997/912.html. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  3. ^ "U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 2—General" (PDF). United States Department of State. http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/84411.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  4. ^ Rosenberg, Matt. "Geography: Country, State, and Nation". http://geography.about.com/cs/politicalgeog/a/statenation.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  5. ^ "Greenland Country Information". Countryreports.org. http://www.countryreports.org/country.aspx?countryid=96&countryName=countryid=96&countryName=Greenland. Retrieved 2008-05-28.  "The World Factbook - Rank Order - Exports". Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2078rank.html. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  6. ^ "Index of Economic Freedom". The Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/index/countries.cfm. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  7. ^ "Index of Economic Freedom - Top 10 Countries". The Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/topten.cfm. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  8. ^ "Asia-Pacific (Region A) Economic Information" (PDF). The Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/chapters/pdf/index2007_RegionA_Asia-Pacific.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  9. ^ "Subjective well-being in 97 countries" (PDF). University of Michigan. http://umich.edu/news/happy_08/HappyChart.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  10. ^ "Legal Research Guide: United Kingdom - Law Library of Congress (Library of Cong". Library of Congress website. Library of Congress. 2009-07-23. http://www.loc.gov/law/help/uk.php. Retrieved 2009-09-22. "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the collective name of four countries, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The four separate countries were united under a single Parliament through a series of Acts of Union." 
  11. ^ "countries within a country:number10.gov.uk". 10 Downing Street website. 10 Downing Street. 2003-01-10. http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page823. Retrieved 2009-09-22. "The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland." 
  12. ^ "Commonwealth Secretariat - Geography". Commonwealth Secretariat website. Commonwealth Secretariat. 2009-09-22. http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookInternal/139598/geography/. Retrieved 2009-09-22. "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) is a union of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland." 
  13. ^ "Travelling Europe - United Kingdom". European Youth Portal. European Commission. 2009-06-29. http://europa.eu/youth/travelling_europe/index_uk_en.html. Retrieved 2009-09-22. "The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales." 
  14. ^ John Simpson, Edmund Weiner, ed. "country". Oxford English Dictionary (1971 compact ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198611862. 
  15. ^ OED, Country
  16. ^ a b John Simpson, Edmund Weiner, ed. Oxford English Dictionary (1971 compact ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198611862. 

External links


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Misspellings: country
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Common misspelling(s) of country

  • ocuntry

Translations: Country
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - land, rige, stat, fædreland, område, lands befolkning
adj. - land-, provins-

idioms:

  • country and western music    country og westernmusik
  • country club    selskabelig klub
  • country cousin    slægtning fra bøhlandet
  • country gentleman    godsejer
  • country house    gods, landhus
  • country seat    landsted, herresæde
  • go to the country    udskrive valg

Nederlands (Dutch)
land, platteland, vaderland, -gebied, de kiezers, countrymuziek, landelijk/rustiek, boeren-, land-

Français (French)
n. - pays, campagne, région, (Mus) country
adj. - rural

idioms:

  • country and western music    musique country et western
  • country club    country club, club de loisirs
  • country cousin    personne qui débarque de la campagne (péj ou hum)
  • country gentleman    gentilhomme campagnard
  • country house    manoir
  • country seat    domaine
  • go to the country    appeler le pays aux urnes

Deutsch (German)
n. - Land, Volk, Landschaft
adj. - Land-

idioms:

  • country and western music    Country-music (amerikanische Cowboy Musik)
  • country club    gesellschaftlicher Klub auf dem Lande
  • country cousin    Unschuld vom Lande
  • country gentleman    Landbesitzer
  • country house    Landhaus
  • country seat    Landsitz
  • go to the country    die Entscheidung der Wähler einholen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χώρα, κράτος, πατρίδα, ύπαιθρος (χώρα), εξοχή, "βασίλειο", επικράτεια, (μτφ.) (ο) λαός, το εκλογικό σώμα
adj. - αγροτικός, εξοχικός, επαρχιώτικος

idioms:

  • back country    απομακρυσμένο και αραιοκατοικημένο μέρος
  • country and western music    μουσική κάντρι
  • country club    εξοχική λέσχη (με αθλητικές εγκαταστάσεις, εντευκτήριο κ.λπ.)
  • country cousin    (καθομ.) επαρχιώτης
  • country gentleman    γαιοκτήμονας
  • country house    εξοχικό (σπίτι)
  • country seat    έπαυλη, βίλα, αρχοντικό γαιοκτήμονα
  • go to the country    κηρύσσω (γενικές) εκλογές
  • the old country    γενέτειρα, πατρίδα, πατρίδα μετανάστη

Italiano (Italian)
paese, campagna, patria, rurale

idioms:

  • across country    da una parte all'altra del paese
  • country and western music    musica country e western
  • country club    circolo d'élite
  • country cousin    provinciale, rozzo e ignorante
  • country gentleman    proprietario terriero
  • country house/seat    residenza rurale
  • go to the country    andare in campagna

Português (Portuguese)
n. - país (m), pátria (f), terra (f), terreno (m), território (m), roça (f)
adj. - do campo, grosseiro, nativo (coloq.)

idioms:

  • across country    através de uma região, através dos campos
  • country and western music    música (f) sertaneja
  • country club    clube (m) de campo
  • country cousin    caipira
  • country gentleman    senhor (m) rural
  • country house/seat    casa (f) de campo
  • go to the country    atrair o público para uma eleição geral pelo direito de formar um governo
  • mother country    mãe-pátria (f), metrópole (f)

Русский (Russian)
страна, родина, деревня

idioms:

  • across country    поперек деревни, вне дороги
  • country and western music    музыка кантри
  • country club    загородный клуб
  • country cousin    деревенщина
  • country gentleman    помещик
  • country house/seat    поместье
  • go to the country    объявить о роспуске парламента
  • mother country    родина

Español (Spanish)
n. - país, campo, campaña, campiña, patria
adj. - rural, campestre

idioms:

  • country and western music    música country
  • country club    club campestre
  • country cousin    provinciano, pueblerino
  • country gentleman    caballero de provincia, dueño de una finca o hacienda
  • country house    quinta, finca, casa solariega
  • country seat    quinta, finca, casa solariega
  • go to the country    convocar elecciones, consultar al electorado

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - land, rike, fosterland, landsbygd, landsort, område, terräng
adj. - lantlig, land(-s)-, lant-

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
国家, 祖国, 国土, 故乡, 乡村, 乡下的, 祖国的, 乡村的

idioms:

  • country and western music    乡村与西部音乐
  • country club    乡间俱乐部
  • country cousin    不习惯城市生活之乡巴佬
  • country gentleman    乡绅
  • country house    别墅
  • country seat    乡间邸宅, 庄园
  • go to the country    举行大选

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 國家, 祖國, 國土, 故鄉, 鄉村
adj. - 鄉下的, 祖國的, 鄉村的

idioms:

  • country and western music    鄉村與西部音樂
  • country club    鄉村俱樂部
  • country cousin    不習慣城市生活之鄉巴佬
  • country gentleman    鄉紳
  • country house    別墅
  • country seat    鄉間邸宅, 莊園
  • go to the country    舉行大選

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 국가, 조국, 시골
adj. - 시골의, 시골풍의, 조야한

idioms:

  • go to the country    (의회를 해산하여) 민의를 묻다, 총선거를 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 国, 国家, 祖国, 故郷, 田舎, 田舎風の, 国民, 地帯

idioms:

  • country and western music    カントリーミュージック
  • country club    カントリークラブ
  • country cousin    お上りさん
  • country gentleman    地方の大地主
  • country house/seat    田舎の広壮な本邸, 別荘
  • developed country    先進国
  • developing country    発展途上国
  • go to the country    国民の信を問う

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) دوله, بلد, قطر, أرض, ريف (صفه) ريفي, قطري‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מדינה, עם, ארץ, אדמה, שטח, טריטוריה שיש לה עם שפה ותרבות משלה, טריטוריה של עם עצמאי, איזורים כפריים, ארץ הלידה של אדם או הארץ בה הוא אזרח, טריטוריה לא קטנה המאופיינת ע"י טופוגרפיה מסוימת, שטח בעל זהות שאינה קשורה לגבולות מדיניים או גיאוגרפיים, מולדת, מחוז, אוכלוסיה של ארץ או מח‬
adj. - ‮של כפר, כפרי, מארץ מסוימת, של ארץ, אופייני לארץ‬

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Cross Border (finance term)
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old country

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