Country
nounA nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.
How to spell country
7 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce country
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does country mean?
- nounA nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.
- nounLand away from towns and cities, with farms, fields, and open space.
Country in a sentence
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My favourite country is Italy.
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They retired to a quiet cottage in the country.
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Each country sets its own rules for visitors.
Where does country come from?
Language of origin: French
The word arrived in English in the 1200s from the Old French contree, which meant a region or district. That French form descends from the Medieval Latin contrata, a noun built from the Latin contra, meaning 'against' or 'opposite'. The underlying image is a beautifully concrete one: the land that lies spread out 'over against' the viewer, the terrain facing you as you look out across it. From this geographical sense English developed both the meaning of a nation or state and the meaning of rural land away from towns. The doubled 'ou' spelling and the silent middle survive from the French, which is why the pronunciation 'kun-tree' does not match the look of the word and trips writers who expect 'cun-' or 'con-'.
How the word is built
- contr- (from Latin contra: against, opposite)
- -y (noun suffix, via Old French contree: land lying opposite/spread before one)
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