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The English word country is derived from Latin contra, which means “against” or “on the opposite side.” In Medieval Latin the noun contrata was formed from contra. Contrata was literally “that which is situated opposite the beholder.” But that which is opposite the beholder is just what he or she sees. So contrata meant “landscape.” It also came to mean “expanse of land, region.” This was the original meaning of English country, which over the years has itself developed a number of new meanings.
Synonyms
Examples of country in a Sentence
Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Most gold is held by countries — the US alone has more than 8,000 tonnes — but the world is filled with private stashes.
—Yvonne Yue Li, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
Multiple countries came together to help fend off over 300 drones and missiles launched at Israel from Iran, with the Israeli Defense Forces claiming that roughly 99% of the attack had been thwarted by their forces and allies.
—Michael Lee, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024
Aid to both countries has stalled, as several House Republicans have opposed sending additional funding to Ukraine.
—Susan Miller, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
After selling-out arenas in their home country, the guys have spent this year on the festival circuit.
—Lucas Villa, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
His own experiences led him to think about different ways that the wealthiest country in the world could help ameliorate poverty.
—Catherine Thorbecke, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
Many of these most inexpensive generics are made overseas, in countries like India and China.
—Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2024
Look at the destruction of this country in four years.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2024
Gorley, 45, has written hits for a raft of country artists, as well as such non-country artists as Bon Jovi and Jason Derulo.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 13 Apr. 2023
Deaton says that viewers of this year’s special can expect more collaborations than ever, pairing country artists from different eras, along with some surprise, non-country guests.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 5 June 2023
With all affected provinces sharing borders with Cameroon and Gabon, WHO has assessed the risk of a multi-country outbreak as high.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 30 Mar. 2023
Both airports have benefited from American’s push to dominate mid-country airports.
—Ted Reed, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023
The current West Africa clade would be divided into two designations, with the large multi-country outbreak that is currently underway belonging to what would be known as clade 3.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 13 June 2022
In an effort to salvage their relationship, Rick decides to take the entire Mitchell family on a cross-country road trip to see Katie off.
—WIRED, 10 Feb. 2023
Take it with you on a cross-country road trip, while climbing Kilimanjaro, or while visiting bucket-list destinations such as Machu Picchu.
—Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 9 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'country.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun and Adjective
Middle English contree, from Anglo-French cuntree, contré, from Medieval Latin contrata, from Latin contra against, on the opposite side
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing country
Articles Related to country
Dictionary Entries Near country
Cite this Entry
“Country.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/country. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
country
1 of 2 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on country
Nglish: Translation of country for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of country for Arabic Speakers
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