country

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The territory of a nation; a sovereign state or a region once independent and still distinct in institutions, language, etc.
2. (British, countable, especially, uncountable) An area of land of undefined extent; a region, a district.
3. (British, countable, especially, uncountable) An area of land of undefined extent; a region, a district.
4. (uncountable) A rural area, as opposed to a town or city; the countryside.
5. (countable, uncountable) The inhabitants or people of a district, region, or nation; the populace, the public.
6. (Australia, capitalized, countable, uncountable, usually) Traditional lands of Indigenous people with embedded cultural, spiritual, cosmological, ecological, and physical attributes and values.
7. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable) Ellipsis of country music.
8. (countable, informal, uncountable) The spirit of the country (rural places): the spirit of country folkways; those folkways.
9. (countable, uncountable) The rock through which a vein of ore or coal runs.

Adj

1. (not-comparable) From or in the countryside, connected with it, or typical of it.
2. (not-comparable) Of or connected to country music.
3. (India, not-comparable) Originating in India rather than being imported from abroad.

Synonyms

land

nation

state

region

countryside

district

territory

place

area

rural

province

earth

kingdom

realm

home

🏠

homeland

world

🗺️

village

rural area

camp

fatherland

zone

motherland

ground

clime

town

🏙️

nation-state

rustic

continent

city

🏙️

people

🧑‍🤝‍🧑

native country

native land

soil

field

commonwealth

Earth

locality

section

res publica

dominion

body politic

domain

citizenry

house

🏠

home country

corner

mother country

pastoral

flat

Translations

pays

Land

paese

país

land

país

campagna

χώρα

Staat

campagne

país

contrée

campo

ülke

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkʌntɹi/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: contre

Cognate with Scots: kintra

In summary

From Middle English contre, contree, contreie, from Old French contree, cuntrede, from Vulgar Latin *(terra) contrāta (“(land) lying opposite; (land) spread before one”) (also in Medieval Latin as "country, region"), from Latin contrā (“against, opposite”) (whence contra-). Cognate with Scots kintra. Unrelated to county. Displaced native English land in some of its senses.
From around 1300 as "area surrounding a walled city or town; the open country." By early 16th century the sense was applied mostly to rural areas, as opposed to towns and cities.
Compare typologically Russian страна́ (straná), сторона́ (storoná).

Sentences

What did he ever do for his country ?

It has been connected with the chaotic state of affairs in the country .

The band was very active with live performances in and outside their native country .

Only one third of the rubbish is being recycled in this country .

They settled in the country of Goshen .

Before , the country was divided into just nine units , also called " oblast ".