| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| country |
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| SYLLABICATION: | coun·try |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  k n tr |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. coun·tries
1a. A nation or state. b. The territory of a nation or state; land. c. The people of a nation or state; populace: The whole country will profit from the new economic reforms. 2. The land of a person's birth or citizenship: Foreign travel is restricted in his country. 3. A region, territory, or large tract of land distinguishable by features of topography, biology, or culture: hill country; Bible country. 4. An area or expanse outside cities and towns; a rural area: a vacation in the country. 5. Law A jury. 6. Informal Country music. | | ADJECTIVE: | 1. Of, relating to, or typical of the country: a country road; country cooking. 2. Of or relating to country music. | | IDIOM: | in country In Vietnam during the period of U.S. military operations there: “He'd been in country a month longer than the other four” (Nelson DeMille). | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English countre, from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin *(terra) contr ta, (land) opposite, before, from Latin contr, opposite. See kom in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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