What does the word country mean

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state.^[1] For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the country of Wales is a component of a multi-part sovereign state, the United Kingdom. A country may be a historically sovereign area (such as Korea), a currently sovereign territory with a unified government (such as Senegal), or a non-sovereign geographic region associated with certain distinct political, ethnic, or cultural characteristics (such as the Basque Country).

The definition and usage of the word «country» is flexible and has changed over time. The Economist wrote in 2010 that «any attempt to find a clear definition of a country soon runs into a thicket of exceptions and anomalies.»^[2] Most sovereign states, but not all countries, are members of the United Nations.

The largest country by area is Russia, while the smallest is the microstate Vatican City. The most populous is China, while the Pitcairn Islands are the least populous.

Etymology

The word country comes from Old French contrée, which derives from Vulgar Latin (terra) contrata («(land) lying opposite»; «(land) spread before»), derived from contra («against, opposite»). It most likely entered the English language after the Franco-Norman invasion during the 11th century.^{[3][better source needed]}

Definition of a country

In English

In English the word has increasingly become associated with political divisions, so that one sense, associated with the indefinite article – «a country» – is now frequently applied as a synonym for a state or a former sovereign state. It may also be used as a synonym for «nation». Taking as examples Canada, Sri Lanka, and Yugoslavia, cultural anthropologist Clifford Geertz wrote in 1997 that «it is clear that the relationships between ‘country’ and ‘nation’ are so different from one [place] to the next as to be impossible to fold into a dichotomous opposition as they are into a promiscuous fusion.»^[4]

Areas much smaller than a political state may be referred to as countries, such as the West Country in England, «big sky country» (used in various contexts of the American West), «coal country» (used to describe coal-mining regions in several sovereign states) and many other terms.^{[5][better source needed]} The word «country» is also used for the sense of native sovereign territory, such as the widespread use of Indian country in the United States.^[6] The term «country» in English may also be wielded to describe rural areas, or used in the form «countryside.» Raymond Williams, a Welsh scholar, wrote in 1975:^[7]

‘Country’ and ‘city’ are very powerful words, and this is not surprising when we remember how much they seem to stand for in the experience of human communities. In English, ‘country’ is both a nation and a part of a ‘land’; ‘the country’ can be the whole society or its rural area. In the long history of human settlements, this connection between the land from which directly or indirectly we all get our living and the achievements of human society has been deeply known.

The unclear definition of «country» in modern English was further commented upon by philosopher Simon Keller:^[8]

Often, a country is presumed to be identical with a collection of citizens. Sometimes, people say that a country is a project, or an idea, or an ideal. Occasionally, philosophers entertain more metaphysically ambitious pictures, suggesting that a country is an organic entity with its own independent life and character, or that a country is an autonomous agent, just like you or me. Such claims are rarely explained or defended, however, and it is not clear how they should be assessed. We attribute so many different kinds of properties to countries, speaking as though a country can feature wheat fields waving or be girt by sea, can have a founding date and be democratic and free, can be English speaking, culturally diverse, war torn or Islamic.

— New Waves In Political Philosophy, «Making Nonsense of Loyalty to Country», page 96

Melissa Lucashenko, an Aboriginal Australian writer, expressed the difficulty of defining «country» in a 2005 essay, «Unsettlement»:^[9]

…What is this thing country? What does country
mean? … I spoke with others who said country meant Home, but who added the caveat that Home resided in people rather than places—a kind of portable Country… I tried to tease out some ways in which non-Indigenous people have understood country. I made categories: Country as Economy. Country as Geography. Country as Society. Country as Myth. Country as History. For all that I walked, slept, breathed and dreamed Country, the language still would not come.

In other languages

The equivalent terms in various Romance languages (e.g. the French pays) have not carried the process of being identified with sovereign political states as far as the English country. These terms are derived from the Roman term pagus, which continued to be used in the Middle Ages for small geographical areas similar to the size of English counties.^{[citation needed]} In many European countries, the words are used for sub-divisions of the national territory, as in the German Bundesländer, as well as a less formal term for a sovereign state. France has very many «pays» that are officially recognized at some level and are either natural regions, like the Pays de Bray, or reflect old political or economic entities, like the Pays de la Loire.^{[citation needed]}

A version of «country» can be found in modern French as contrée, derived from the Old French word cuntrée,^{[5][better source needed]} that is used similarly to the word pays to define non-state regions, 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.^{[citation needed]}

Identification

Symbols of a country may incorporate cultural, religious or political symbols of any nation that the country includes. Many categories of symbols can be seen in flags, coats of arms, or seals.

Name

Most countries have a long name and a short name. The long name is typically used in formal contexts and often describes the country’s form of government. The short name is the country’s common name by which it is typically identified.^{[10][11][12][13][better source needed]} The names of most countries are derived from a feature of the land, the name of a historical tribe or person, or a directional description.^{[14][better source needed]} The International Organization for Standardization maintains a list of country codes as part of ISO 3166 to designate each country with a two-letter country code.^[15] The name of a country can hold cultural and diplomatic significance. Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso to reflect the end of French colonization, and the name of North Macedonia was disputed for years due to a conflict with the similarly named Macedonia region in Greece.^[16]

Flags

Originally, flags representing a country would generally be the personal flag of its rulers; however, over time, the practice of using personal banners as flags of places was abandoned in favor of flags that had some significance to the nation, often its patron saint. Early examples of these were the maritime republics such as Genoa which could be said to have a national flag as early as the 12th century.^[17] However, these were still mostly used in the context of marine identification.^{[citation needed]}

Although some flags date back earlier, widespread use of flags outside of military or naval context begins only with the rise of the idea of the nation state at the end of the 18th century and particularly are a product of the Age of Revolution. Revolutions such as those in France and America called for people to begin thinking of themselves as citizens as opposed to subjects under a king, and thus necessitated flags that represented the collective citizenry, not just the power and right of a ruling family.^[18][19] With nationalism becoming common across Europe in the 19th century, national flags came to represent most of the states of Europe.^[18] Flags also began fostering a sense of unity between different peoples, such as the Union Jack representing a union between England and Scotland, or began to represent unity between nations in a perceived shared struggle, for example, the Pan-Slavic colors or later Pan-Arab colors.^[20]

As Europeans colonized significant portions of the world, they exported ideas of nationhood and national symbols, including flags, with the adoption of a flag becoming seen as integral to the nation-building process.^[21] Political change, social reform, and revolutions combined with a growing sense of nationhood among ordinary people in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the birth of new nations and flags around the globe.^[22] With so many flags being created, interest in these designs began to develop and the study of flags, vexillology, at both professional and amateur levels, emerged. After World War II, Western vexillology went through a phase of rapid development, with many research facilities and publications being established.^[23]

National anthems

A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation.^[24] Though the custom of an officially adopted national anthem became popular only in the 19th century, some national anthems predate this period, often existing as patriotic songs long before designation as national anthem.^{[citation needed]} Several countries remain without an official national anthem. In these cases, there are established de facto anthems played at sporting events or diplomatic receptions. These include the United Kingdom («God Save the Queen») and Sweden (Du gamla, Du fria). Some sovereign states that are made up of multiple countries or constituencies have associated musical compositions for each of them (such as with the United Kingdom, Russia, and the former Soviet Union). These are sometimes referred to as national anthems even though they are not sovereign states (for example, «Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau» is used for Wales, part of the United Kingdom).^{[citation needed]}

Other symbols

• Coats of arms or national emblems
• Seals or stamps
• National mottos
• National colors

Sovereignty and recognition

When referring to a specific polity, the term «country» may refer to a sovereign state, a constituent country, or a dependent territory. A sovereign state is a political entity that has supreme legitimate authority over a part of the world.^[25] There is no universal agreement on the number of «countries» in the world since several states have disputed sovereignty status, and a number of non-sovereign entities are commonly called countries.

By one application of the declarative theory of statehood and constitutive theory of statehood,^{[26][better source needed]} there are 206 sovereign states; of which 193 are members of the UN, two have observer status at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) (the Holy See and Palestine), and 11 others are neither a member nor observer at the UNGA.^{[27][28][better source needed]}

Some countries, such as Taiwan and the Sahrawi Republic, have disputed sovereignty status. Some sovereign states are unions of separate polities, each of which may also be considered a country in its own right, called constituent countries. The Danish Realm consists of Denmark proper, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland.^[29] The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of the Netherlands proper, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.^{[30][note 1][better source needed]} The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Dependent territories are the territories of a sovereign state that are outside of its proper territory. These include the Realm of New Zealand, the dependencies of Norway, the British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, the territories of the United States, the territories of Australia, the special administrative regions of China, the Danish Realm, Åland, Overseas France, and the Caribbean Netherlands. Most dependent territories have ISO country codes.^{[15][better source needed]} In total there are 249 ISO country codes, including all 193 UN members and a number of other countries.^[31] Some dependent territories are treated as a separate «country of origin» in international trade,^[32][33] such as Hong Kong,^[34][35][36] Greenland,^[37] and Macau.^{[38][better source needed]}

Patriotism

A positive emotional connection to a country a person belongs to is called patriotism. Patriotism is a sense of love for, devotion to, and sense of attachment to one’s country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, and language relating to one’s homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political, or historical aspects. It encompasses a set of concepts closely related to nationalism, mostly civic nationalism and sometimes cultural nationalism.^[39][40]

Economy

Several organizations seek to identify trends to produce economy country classifications. Countries are often distinguished as developing countries or developed countries.^{[citation needed]}

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs annually produces the World Economic Situation and Prospects Report classifies states as developed countries, economies in transition, or developing countries. The report classifies country development based on per capita gross national income (GNI). The UN identifies subgroups within broad categories based on geographical location or ad hoc criteria. The UN outlines the geographical regions for developing economies like Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The 2019 report recognizes only developed countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. The majority of economies in transition and developing countries are found in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.^{[citation needed]}

The World Bank also classifies countries based on GNI per capita. The World Bank Atlas method classifies countries as low-income economies, lower-middle-income economies, upper-middle-income economies, or high-income economies. For the 2020 fiscal year, the World Bank defines low-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita of $1,025 or less in 2018; lower-middle-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita between $1,026 and $3,995; upper-middle-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita between $3,996 and $12,375; high-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita of $12,376 or more.^[41]

It also identifies regional trends. The World Bank defines its regions as East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Lastly, the World Bank distinguishes countries based on its operational policies. The three categories include International Development Association (IDA) countries, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) countries, and Blend countries.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• City network
• Country (identity)
• Lists of countries and territories
• List of former sovereign states
• List of sovereign states and dependent territories by continent
• List of states with limited recognition
• List of transcontinental countries
• Micronation
• Princely state
• Quasi-state

Notes

References

Works cited

Further reading

• Defining what makes a country The Economist

External links

• The CIA World Factbook
• Country Studies from the United States Library of Congress
• Foreign Information by Country and Country & Territory Guides from GovPubs at UCB Libraries
• United Nations statistics division

Born in an American Stalinist medical facility**** to foreign parents, he spent his early years nomadically, drifting from country to country***** as his feckless father moved the family in search of lasting employment******. ❋ Unknown (2007)

“As a result of the serious work that the Government, Parliament, the general public and the judiciary have done since 1994 to place our country on path of fundamental social transformation, the Government is firmly of the view that, substantially, we have elaborated the policy, legislative and constitutional base that will enable us to achieve the transformation of our country… ❋ Unknown (2001)

Taking all these circumstances into view, it is not going too far to assert, that on equal fortunes the assessed taxes are _twice as heavy_ in the country as in towns; and that of £3,312,000 which they produce annually, after deducting the land tax, about £2,500,000, is paid by _landowners either in town or country_. ❋ Various (N/A)

— While his regiment was in daily expectation of receiving orders for Ireland, some one told him, that country quarters in the sister kingdom were so filthy, that the rich uniforms of his corps would soon be lamentably soiled: ‘Let the men act as dragoons, then,’ said his royal highness, ‘and _scour the country_.’ ❋ Various (N/A)

At another time, when we were spending the summer at our country place, near the city, another citizen of the “auld country” presented himself and asked for work. ❋ Charlotte Taylor Blow Charless (N/A)

I do know that they have done all that in them lay that they might have no country, —that all the honors, associations, memories, and hopes which belong to “country” might be broken up into little shreds and distributed to the winds. ❋ Unknown (1917)

Abd-el-Hafid, proclaimed Sultan at Fez, was recognized by the whole country, but he found himself unable to cope with the factious tribes (those outside the Blad-el-Makhzen, or _governed country_). ❋ Edith Wharton (1899)

_ The difference between this motto of the _Liberator_ and that of the _Free Press_: _Our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country_ — measures the greatness of the revolution which had taken place in the young editor. ❋ Archibald Henry Grimk�� (1889)

We love our country because it is _our country_; our home because it is _home_: London or Paris we may prefer, as comprehending in themselves, all the intellectual pleasures, and luxuries of life: but, dear Italy! ❋ Unknown (1827)

«_That the country of D’Elmina, which was formerly very powerful and populous, was in his time so much drained of its inhabitants by the intestine wars fomented amongst the Negroes by the Dutch, that there did not remain inhabitants enough to till the country_.» ❋ Anthony Benezet (1748)

$yob = $_POST [ ‘yob’]; $country = $_POST [ ‘country‘]; $saddress = $_POST [ ‘saddress’]; $city = ❋ Charles1718 (2010)

«It is not without grief that we see our country _settled by you_, without our knowledge or consent; and it is a long time since we complained to you of this grievance, which we find has not yet been redressed; but _settlements_ are still _extending further into our country_: some of them are made directly on our war-path, leading to our enemies ‘country, and we do not like it. ❋ Great Britain. Board Of Trade (N/A)

The alternative was for England to be the only country that forced its ­players to choose between playing for their ­country and the IPL, and that was a dangerous place to go. » ❋ Unknown (2009)

Well, I don’t think they can separate their lives and their country from the Kim family … their country is the Kim family. ❋ Unknown (2010)

As an Obama supporter I very much value the votes of Clinton supporters and hope we can all unite after this primary to take back this country from the uber-conservative religious right and get back to what this country is all about. ❋ Unknown (2008)

Scotty quickly confirms what I instantly thought: He picked this song simply because it had the word country in it. ❋ Unknown (2011)

BUT the fact that you already have a vehicle in country is a show stopper. ❋ Unknown (2009)

[USA], [Norway], and [India] ❋ The Boy That Picked Flowers And Made People Sing (2003)

[I live] in the country and I listen to [country music]. [America] is the country I live in. ❋ Lequita Ann (2008)

i love my [patsy], but who in [sam hill] is this [tim mcgraw] guy? ❋ Dagger_grrl (2004)

Girl: Hey put on some country.
Boy: I am not a [hick].
Girl: [It’s over]. [I hate you]. ❋ Alilhappything (2006)

Country till [I die]! No, wait, [Heaven] is country, too, so country for [eternity]!!! ❋ Hallie Corson (2004)

some [teenage girl]: yeah country is good, i like [carrie underwood], taylor swift, you know, [the good stuff].
Real Country fan: nooo! Big & rich!!! ❋ Rockerfandude (2007)

[i love] [country music] ❋ Shania (2003)

Guy: «[So what] kind of music do you like?»
Girl: «Everything [except] country.»
Guy: «[Me too]!» ❋ SeamOn (2008)

I love [old country] music, but [new country] needs to die.
There are sadly few [country people] in today’s society. ❋ Rachael (2004)

“Is she a [country girl]?”
“Yes [ma’am] she loves being on her land and working on our [ranch]!” ❋ No More Bullshit (2020)

SKIP TO CONTENT

• Abkhaz: аҳәынҭқарра (aḥʷəntkarra)
• Adyghe: хэку (xekʷu)
• Afrikaans: land (af)
• Ainu: モシㇼ (mosir)
• Albanian: atdhe (sq), shtet (sq) m
• Antillean Creole: péyi
• Arabic: بَلَد‎ (ar) f (balad), وَطَن‎ (ar) m (waṭan)

  Egyptian Arabic: بلد‎ f (balad), وطن‎ m (waṭan)

• Armenian: երկիր (hy) (erkir), պետություն (hy) (petutʿyun)
• Asturian: país (ast) m
• Avar: улка (ulka)
• Azerbaijani: ölkə (az), dövlət (az), məmləkət (az)
• Bashkir: ил (il), дәүләт (däwlät)
• Basque: herrialde
• Belarusian: краі́на (be) f (kraína), дзяржа́ва (be) f (dzjaržáva)
• Bengali: দেশ (bn) (deś), রাষ্ট্র (bn) (raśṭro)
• Berber:

  Tashelhit: tamazirt f

• Breton: bro (br) f
• Bulgarian: страна́ (bg) f (straná), роди́на (bg) f (rodína), държа́ва (bg) f (dǎržáva)
• Burmese: နိုင်ငံ (my) (nuingngam)
• Catalan: país (ca) m
• Chechen: мохк (moxk), махкалла (maxkalla)
• Cherokee: ᎠᏰᏟᎤᏙᏢᏒ (ayetliudotlvsv)
• Chichewa: dziko
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 國家／国家 (gwok³ gaa¹)

  Dungan: гоцзя (goczi͡a)

  Mandarin: 國家／国家 (zh) (guójiā)

  Min Nan: 國家／国家 (zh-min-nan) (kok-ka)

• Chukchi: нутэнут (nutėnut), государство (gosudarstvo)
• Coptic: ⲭⲱⲣⲁ f (khōra), ⲕⲁϩⲓ m (kahi)
• Crimean Tatar: memleket
• Czech: země (cs) f, stát (cs) m
• Danish: land (da) n
• Dutch: land (nl) n
• Esperanto: lando (eo)
• Estonian: maa (et), riik (et)
• Faroese: land
• Finnish: maa (fi), valtio (fi)
• French: pays (fr) m, contrée (fr) f
• Galician: país (gl) m
• Georgian: ქვეყანა (kveq̇ana)
• German: Land (de) n; Staat (de) m; Vaterland (de) n
• Greek: χώρα (el) f (chóra)

  Ancient: χώρα f (khṓra)

• Greenlandic: nunaat
• Gujarati: દેશ (gu) (deś)
• Haitian Creole: peyi
• Hawaiian: kaumokuʻāina
• Hebrew: אֶרֶץ‎ (he) f (érets), מְדִינָה‎ (he) f (m’diná)
• Hindi: देश (hi) m (deś), राष्ट्र (hi) m (rāṣṭra)
• Hungarian: ország (hu)
• Icelandic: land (is) n, ríki (is) n
• Ido: lando (io)
• Indonesian: negara (id), bangsa (id)
• Ingrian: maa, riikki
• Interlingua: pais
• Irish: tír f
• Italian: paese (it) m, nazione (it) f, patria (it) f, stato (it) m
• Japanese: 国 (ja) (くに, kuni), 国家 (ja) (こっか, kokka)
• Jarai: čar
• Javanese: negara (jv)
• Kabardian: хэку (xekʷu)
• Kannada: ದೇಶ (kn) (dēśa), ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರ (kn) (rāṣṭra)
• Kashmiri: مُلک‎ (mulk)
• Kashubian: państwò n
• Kazakh: ел (el), мемлекет (kk) (memleket)
• Khmer: ស្រុក (km) (srok), ប្រទេស (km) (prɑteih)
• Korean: 나라 (ko) (nara), 국가(國家) (ko) (gukga)
• Kumyk: пачалыкъ (paçalıq), уьлке (ülke)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: وِڵات‎ (ckb) (willat)

  Laki: ڤِڵات‎ (villat)

  Northern Kurdish: welat (ku)

  Southern Kurdish: وِڵات‎ (ku) (willat)

• Kyrgyz: өлкө (ky) (ölkö), мамлекет (ky) (mamleket)
• Ladin: paeje
• Lao: ປະເທດ (pa thēt), ເມືອງ (lo) (mư̄ang), ຊາດ (lo) (sāt)
• Latin: terra (la) f, natio (la) f, patria (la) f
• Latvian: valsts m, zeme (lv) f
• Lezgi: уьлкве (ülk°e)
• Ligurian: pàize
• Lithuanian: valstybė (lt) f, šalis (lt) f, kraštas (lt) m
• Low German: land n
• Luri:

  Northern Luri: ولات‎ (wlạt)

• Lutshootseed: swatixʷtəd
• Luxembourgish: Land (lb) n, Staat (lb) m
• Lü: ᦵᦙᦲᧂ (moeng), ᨾᩮᩥ᩠ᨦ
• Macedonian: држава f (država), земја f (zemja), нација f (nacija)
• Malagasy: tany (mg)
• Malay: negara (ms), nasional (ms)
• Malayalam: രാജ്യം (ml) (rājyaṃ)
• Maltese: pajjiż m
• Manchu: ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ (gurun)
• Marathi: देश (mr) m (deś)
• Mingrelian: ქიანა (kiana), ქიჸანა (kiʾana)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: улс (mn) (uls), гүрэн (mn) (güren), орон (mn) (oron)

• Navajo: kéyah
• Nepali: देश (ne) (deś)
• Norman: pays m
• Northern Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: land (no) n

  Nynorsk: land n

• Occitan: país (oc) m
• Ojibwe: aki, akiin pl
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: землꙗ f (zemlja), страна f (strana)

• Old East Slavic: землꙗ f (zemlja), краина f (kraina)
• Old English: land (ang) n
• Ottoman Turkish: ایل‎ (il)
• Pa’o Karen: ခမ်းထီ
• Pashto: مملکت‎ m (mamlakat)
• Pela: mau³¹, maŋ³¹, maŋ³¹ tɛ̃⁵⁵, kɔ³¹kja⁵⁵
• Persian: کشور‎ (fa) (kešvar), میهن‎ (fa) (mihan), سرزمین‎ (fa) (sarzamin)
• Plautdietsch: Launt (nds) n
• Polish: kraj (pl) m inan, państwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: país (pt) m, nação (pt) f, países (pt) pl
• Punjabi: ਦੇਸ਼ (deś), ਮੂਲਕ (mūlak), ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰ (rāśṭar)
• Quechua: suyu (qu)
• Romani: them m
• Romanian: țară (ro) f, națiune (ro), stat (ro) n, patrie (ro) f
• Romansch: pajais m
• Russian: страна́ (ru) f (straná), госуда́рство (ru) n (gosudárstvo), держа́ва (ru) f (deržáva), (poetic, ironic) край (ru) m (kraj)
• Rusyn: краї́на f (krajína)
• Sahaptin: tiichám
• Sanskrit: देश (sa) m (deśa), राष्ट्र (sa) m (rāṣṭra)
• Saterland Frisian: Lound
• Scots: kintra
• Scottish Gaelic: dùthaich f, talamh m or f, tìr f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: зѐмља f, др̀жава f, кра̏јина f, на̑ција f, ^{(please verify)} отачбина f

  Roman: zèmlja (sh) f, dr̀žava (sh) f, krȁjina (sh) f, nȃcija (sh) f, ^{(please verify)} otačbina f

• Sindhi: ملڪ‎
• Sinhalese: රට (si) (raṭa)
• Slovak: krajina (sk) f, štát (sk) m
• Slovene: država (sl) f
• Spanish: país (es) m
• Swahili: U- class 11/14, dola (sw) class 9/10, inchi (sw) class 9/10
• Swedish: land (sv) n
• Tagalog: bansa (tl)
• Tajik: давлат (tg) (davlat), мамлакат (mamlakat), кишвар (tg) (kišvar)
• Tamil: தேசம் (ta) (tēcam)
• Taos: pǫ̏’óna
• Tatar: ил (tt) (il), дәүләт (tt) (däwlät)
• Telugu: దేశము (te) (dēśamu)
• Thai: ประเทศ (th) (bprà-têet), เมือง (th) (mʉʉang), ชาติ (th) (châat), รัฐ (th) (rát)
• Tok Pisin: kantri (tpi)
• Turkish: ülke (tr), memleket (tr), il (tr), el (tr), devlet (tr)
• Turkmen: ülke (tk), döwlet, watan
• Uab Meto: pah
• Ugaritic: 𐎈𐎆𐎚 (ḥwt)
• Ukrainian: краї́на (uk) f (krajína), держа́ва (uk) f (deržáva)
• Urdu: ملک‎ m (mulk), دیش‎ m (deś), راشٹر‎ m (rāṣṭra)
• Uyghur: دۆلەت‎ (dölet), مەملىكەت‎ (memliket)
• Uzbek: mamlakat (uz)
• Vietnamese: quốc gia (vi) (國家 (vi)), đất nước (vi)
• Volapük: län (vo)
• Walloon: payis (wa) m
• Welsh: gwladwriaeth (cy)
• West Frisian: lân (fy) n
• Wolof: réew (wo)
• Yiddish: מדינה‎ f (medine)
• Zazaki: ware (diq) m, memleket m, cayer m
• Zhuang: guekgya

Princeton’s WordNetRate this definition:2.8 / 13 votes

1. state, nation, country, land, commonwealth, res publica, body politicnoun

   a politically organized body of people under a single government

   «the state has elected a new president»; «African nations»; «students who had come to the nation’s capitol»; «the country’s largest manufacturer»; «an industrialized land»

2. country, state, landnoun

   the territory occupied by a nation

   «he returned to the land of his birth»; «he visited several European countries»

3. nation, land, countrynoun

   the people who live in a nation or country

   «a statement that sums up the nation’s mood»; «the news was announced to the nation»; «the whole country worshipped him»

4. country, rural areanoun

   an area outside of cities and towns

   «his poetry celebrated the slower pace of life in the country»

5. area, countrynoun

   a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)

   «it was a mountainous area»; «Bible country»

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.7 / 3 votes

1. countrynoun

   An area of land; a district, region.

2. countrynoun

   A set region of land having particular human occupation or agreed limits, especially inhabited by members of the same race, language speakers etc., or associated with a given person, occupation, species etc.

3. countrynoun

   The territory of a nation, especially an independent nation state or formerly independent nation; a political entity asserting ultimate authority over a geographical area.

4. countrynoun

   A rural area, as opposed to a town or city; the countryside.

5. countrynoun

   Country music.

6. countryadjective

   From the countryside or connected with it.

7. countryadjective

   Of or connected to country music.

8. countrynoun

   Plural form of countryman.

9. Etymology: contree, contre, from contree, from Vulgar Latin (terra) contrata, derived from contra.

Samuel Johnson’s DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Countryadjective

   This word is scarcely used but in composition.

   1. Rustick; rural; villatick.

   Cannot a country wench know, that having received a shilling from one that owes her three, and a shilling also from another that owes her three, that the remaining debts in each of their hands are equal?
   John Locke.

   I never meant any other, than that Mr. Trot should confine himself to country dances.
   Spectator, №. 308.

   He comes no nearer to a positive, clear idea of a positive infinite, than the country fellow had of the water which was yet to pass the channel of the river where he stood.
   John Locke.

   Talk but with country people, or young people, and you shall find that the notions they apply this name to, are so odd that nobody can imagine they were taught by a rational man.
   John Locke.

   The low mechanicks of a country town do somewhat outdo him.
   John Locke.

   Come, we’ll e’en to our country seat repair,
   The native home of innocence and love.
   John Norris.

   2. Remote from cities or courts, and of an interest opposite to that of courts.

   A country gentleman, learning Latin in the university, removes thence to his mansion-house.
   John Locke.

   3. Peculiar to a region or people.

   She laughing the cruel tyrant to scorn, spake in her country language.
   2 Macabees, vii. 27.

   4. Rude; ignorant; untaught.

   We make a country man dumb, whom we will not allow to speak but by the rules of grammar.
   John Dryden, Dufresnoy.

2. COUNTRYnoun

   Etymology: contrée, Fr. contrata, low Latin; supposed to be contracted from conterrata.

   1. A tract of land; a region.

   Send out more horses, skirre the country round,
   Hang those that talk of fear.
   William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   They require to be examined concerning the descriptions of those countries of which they would be informed.
   Thomas Sprat.

   2. The parts of a region distant from cities or courts; rural parts.

   I see them hurry from country to town, and then from the town back again into the country.
   Spectator, №. 626.

   3. The place which any man inhabits.4. The place of one’s birth; the native soil.

   The king set on foot a reformation in the ornaments and advantages of our country.
   Thomas Sprat.

   O, save my country, heav’n, shall be your last.
   Alexander Pope.

   5. The inhabitants of any region.

   All the country, in a general voice,
   Cry’d hate upon him; all their prayers and love
   Were set on Hereford.
   William Shakespeare, Henry IV. p. ii.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Country

   A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the country of Wales is a component of a multi-part sovereign state, the United Kingdom. A country may be a historically sovereign area (such as Korea), a currently sovereign territory with a unified government (such as Senegal), or a non-sovereign geographic region associated with certain distinct political, ethnic, or cultural characteristics (such as the Basque Country).
   The definition and usage of the word «country» is flexible and has changed over time. The Economist wrote in 2010 that «any attempt to find a clear definition of a country soon runs into a thicket of exceptions and anomalies.» Most sovereign states, but not all countries, are members of the United Nations.
   The largest country by area is Russia, while the smallest is the microstate Vatican City. The most populous is China, while the Pitcairn Islands are the least populous.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Countryadverb

   a tract of land; a region; the territory of an independent nation; (as distinguished from any other region, and with a personal pronoun) the region of one’s birth, permanent residence, or citizenship

2. Countryadverb

   rural regions, as opposed to a city or town

3. Countryadverb

   the inhabitants or people of a state or a region; the populace; the public. Hence: (a) One’s constituents. (b) The whole body of the electors of state; as, to dissolve Parliament and appeal to the country

4. Countryadverb

   a jury, as representing the citizens of a country

5. Countryadverb

   the inhabitants of the district from which a jury is drawn

6. Countryadverb

   the rock through which a vein runs

7. Countryadjective

   pertaining to the regions remote from a city; rural; rustic; as, a country life; a country town; the country party, as opposed to city

8. Countryadjective

   destitute of refinement; rude; unpolished; rustic; not urbane; as, country manners

9. Countryadjective

   pertaining, or peculiar, to one’s own country

10. Etymology: [F. contre, LL. contrata, fr. L. contra over against, on the opposite side. Cf. Counter, adv., Contra.]

FreebaseRate this definition:4.0 / 3 votes

1. Country

   A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with sets of previously independent or differently associated peoples with distinct political characteristics. Regardless of the physical geography, in the modern internationally accepted legal definition as defined by the League of Nations in 1937 and reaffirmed by the United Nations in 1945, a resident of a country is subject to the independent exercise of legal jurisdiction.
   Sometimes the word country is used to refer both to sovereign states and to other political entities, while other times it refers only to states. For example, the CIA World Factbook uses the word in its «Country name» field to refer to «a wide variety of dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and other entities in addition to the traditional countries or independent states».

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:1.5 / 2 votes

1. Country

   kun′tri, n. a rural region as distinct from a town: a tract of land: the land in which one was born, or in which one resides.—adj. belonging to the country: rustic: rude.—p.adj. Coun′trified.—v.t. Coun′trify, to make rustic.—ns. Coun′try-box, a country-house; Coun′try-dance, a dance practised by country people: a dance in which an indefinite number of couples can take part, the gentlemen being arranged at the commencement on one side, and the ladies on the other.—n.pl. Coun′try-folk, the inhabitants of the country.—ns. Coun′try-house, -seat, the residence of a country gentleman; Coun′tryman, one who lives in the country: a farmer: one born in the same country with another; Coun′try-side, a district or part of the country; Coun′try-woman, a woman who dwells in the country: a woman born in the same country.—Country cousin, a relative from the country, unaccustomed to town sights or manners; Country gentleman, a landed proprietor who resides on his estate in the country; Country town, a small town in a rural district, depending on the agricultural industry of the surrounding country.—Go to the country, in parliamentary usage, to appeal to the feeling of the community by a general election. [O. Fr., contrée—Low L. contrata, contrada, an extension of L. contra, over against.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. country

   A term synonymous with station. The place whither a ship
   happens to be ordered.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. country

   A specific area of land defined in legislation.

   Many countries are defined legally and some countries are united with other countries to form a nation or sovereign state.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 23, 2020  

2. ---

   country

   A group of people in a specific geographical area defined in legislation with a structure of unity government in the form of all types of local unity government, regional unity government, national unity government that work in partnership with the european unity government and international unity government to cocreate an ethical, moral, fair and just society with the focus on priorities of optimum health, human rights, right to life, civil rights, balanced and moderate society with the redistribution of income, wealth and resources to ensure and guarantee shared prosperity for all

   The country did create a form of unity government structure across the country.

   Submitted by MaryC on April 3, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Administrative District
   • Geographical Area
   • People
   • Political Unit
   • Region

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word ‘country’ in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #270

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word ‘country’ in Written Corpus Frequency: #453

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word ‘country’ in Nouns Frequency: #29

How to pronounce country?

How to say country in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of country in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of country in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of country in a Sentence

1. Dennis Farris:

   Today in Austin, Texas we see another front in the war on police in this country, these indictments are strictly political in nature and this is what he ran on when he ran for district attorney. In issuing these indictments today he knows he will never get one conviction of any officer in these cases.

2. Raphael Warnock:

   It is a contradiction to say that Joe Manchin must protect the voice of the minority party in the Senate while doing nothing to protect the voices of minority people in the state of Georgia and all across the country.

3. Rochelle Walensky:

   Currently, approximately 1,000 counties in the United States have vaccination coverage of less than 30%, these communities, primarily in the Southeast and Midwest, are our most vulnerable. In some of these areas, we are already seeing increasing rates of disease. As the Delta variant continues to spread across the country, we expect to see increased transmissions in these communities, unless we can vaccinate more people now.

4. Charlie Hill:

   I miss my country, i miss my family. I would like to go back and see where my grandparents were born, where I was born, where I went to junior high. Eat some blackberry pie. Even go to McDonald’s. That’s only natural.

5. Donald Trump:

   Hey, how about the NFL. Look I don’t want to cause controversy. … I don’t want to cause controversy, they passed this stupid thing. You don’t have to do this anymore if you don’t respect the flag or if you don’t like the country or whatever it is, just go into the locker room.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for country

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

• landAfrikaans
• أرياف, بَلَدٌ, ريف, وَطَنٌ, وِلاَيَةٌ, نسبة الى الريف, اوطان, رِيفِيّArabic
• ölkə, kəndAzerbaijani
• өлкә, ауыл, төбәк, дәүләт, илBashkir
• зямля, вёска, краіна, дзержаваBelarusian
• земя, държава, кънтри, село, провинциален, страна, родина, провинцияBulgarian
• দেশBengali
• maez, glad, broBreton
• país, campestre, campCatalan, Valencian
• země, venkovCzech
• cefn gwlad, gwladwriaeth, gwladWelsh
• landDanish
• Vaterland, Land, ländlich, Region, Land-, Staat, LandschaftGerman
• χώρα, εξοχικός, αγροτικός, επαρχιώτικος, εξοχή, ύπαιθροςGreek
• lando, kamparoEsperanto
• provincia, campestre, país, ranchera, provinciano, campesino, campoSpanish
• maa, kantri, riikEstonian
• سرزمین, میهن, حومه شهر, کشور, حاشیه نشین, روستایی, روستاPersian
• maalainen, maa, valtio, maaseutu, kantri, maalais-Finnish
• landFaroese
• pays, contrée, campagneFrench
• lân, boerelânWestern Frisian
• tìreil, dùthaich, dùthchail, tìr, talamhScottish Gaelic
• paísGalician
• tetâGuaraní
• દેશGujarati
• כפרי, מדינה, כפר, ארץ, כפריתHebrew
• देश, राष्ट्र, देHindi
• peyiHaitian Creole
• ország, vidéki, vidékHungarian
• քանթրի, շինական, գյուղական, երկիր, պետություն, գյուղ, շենArmenian
• pais, campestre, ruralInterlingua
• bangsa, negara, desaIndonesian
• lando, ruroIdo
• landIcelandic
• landa, patria, paese, campagna, rurale, campo, nazioneItalian
• מדינהHebrew
• カントリー, 国, 田舎, 地方, 国家, 田園Japanese
• negara, negawaJavanese
• ქვეყანა, სოფელიGeorgian
• елKazakh
• nunaatKalaallisut, Greenlandic
• ស្រុក, ប្រទេសKhmer
• ದೇಶದ, ದೇಶ, ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರKannada
• 나라, 국가, 國家, 시골, 시골의Korean
• welat, وڵاتKurdish
• өлкөKyrgyz
• patria, pagus, terra, rusLatin
• Land, StaatLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
• ເມືອງ, ປະເທດLao
• šalis, kraštas, kaimiškas, kaimo, valstybė, kaimas, kantriLithuanian
• lauki, kantrī, lauku, zeme, valsts, lauku-Latvian
• селски, земја, нациja, држава, село, кантриMacedonian
• രാജ്യം, ഗ്രാമം, നാട്ടുമ്പുറംMalayalam
• гүрэн, улсMongolian
• negara, bangsaMalay
• pajjiżMaltese
• နိုင်ငံBurmese
• country, land, landsbygdNorwegian
• land, platteland, plattelands, country, land-, boeren-, open veldDutch
• land, landsbygd, countryNorwegian Nynorsk
• landsens, landNorwegian
• kéyahNavajo, Navaho
• akiin, akiOjibwe, Ojibwa
• ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰ, ਮੂਲਕ, ਦੇਸ਼Panjabi, Punjabi
• ziemia, country, kraj, wieś, wiejskiPolish
• nação, campestre, países, rural, país, grosseiro, campo, countryPortuguese
• suyuQuechua
• pajais, cuntradaRomansh
• stat, sat, țară, națiune, pământ, patrie, ruralRomanian
• страна, край, государство, провинция, деревня, деревенский, село, земля, держава, кантри, сельскийRussian
• देशः, राष्ट्रSanskrit
• zemlja, земља, држава, nacija, отачбина, otačbina, dedinje, krajina, село, нација, država, selo, ĸpajинaSerbo-Croatian
• රටSinhala, Sinhalese
• dedina, vidiek, krajina, zem, vidiecky, dedinskýSlovak
• zemlja, vaško, podeželsko, država, dežela, podeželjeSlovene
• atdhe, fshatAlbanian
• land-, land, landet, landsort, lands-, landsbygd, countrySwedish
• shamba, mashamba, -a kimashamba, nchiSwahili
• நாடு, தேசம்Tamil
• దేశముTelugu
• давлат, мамлакатTajik
• ชนบท, เมือง, ทางชนบท, ประเทศThai
• döwlet, ülke, watanTurkmen
• bansaTagalog
• taşra, kırsal, eyalet, memleket, ülke, il, elTurkish
• илTatar
• земля, село, країна, державаUkrainian
• راشٹر, دیشUrdu
• mamlakat, qishloqUzbek
• 國家, nước, miền quê, nông thôn, quốc gia, quê hương, tỉnn, đất nước, tổ quốc, quốcVietnamese
• länVolapük
• דאָרפֿישYiddish
• 国Chinese

Get even more translations for country »

Translation

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• Latinum (Latin)
• Svenska (Swedish)
• Dansk (Danish)
• Suomi (Finnish)
• فارسی (Persian)
• ייִדיש (Yiddish)
• հայերեն (Armenian)
• Norsk (Norwegian)
• English (English)

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