Added 3 October 2026
country
/ˈkʌntɹi/ noun
In Latin: terra Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about country at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The territory of a nation; a sovereign state or a region once independent and still distinct in institutions, language, etc. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
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A large area regarded as distinct from other areas, e.g. because it is inhabited by a specific group of people
Basque Country
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An area of land of undefined extent; a region, a district. An area of land of indefinite extent or of more or less definite extent in relation to human occupation, especially characterized by its particular physical features, or its suitability for a particular activity or connected with its population (by race, dialect, culture, etc.) or a person, especially a writer, or their works.
Thomas Hardy country
adjective
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From or in the countryside, connected with it, or typical of it.
Things around here are just a little more country than what he's used to.
-
Of or connected to country music.
They're mainly a hard rock band, but their new album sounds kinda country to me.
- Originating in India rather than being imported from abroad.
Origin
Inherited from Middle English contre, borrowed from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin *(terra) contrāta (“facing land”), from Latin contrā (“against”) + -āta (noun-forming suffix). 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).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)