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Vocabulary.com
vocabulary.com › dictionary › country
Country - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
A country is a nation, a body of land with one government. Also, rural areas outside cities and towns are called the country.

distinct territorial body or political entity

Map of Pacific Island countries identified by their two-letter ISO country codes
A country is an area of land, which has its own government and laws, or used to have them, such as a state, a nation, a nation state, or other political entity. … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Named after land
side
Factsheet
Named after land
side
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Country
Country - Wikipedia
1 week ago - A country is an area of land, which has its own government and laws, or used to have them, such as a state, a nation, a nation state, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, a state with limited recognition, a constituent ...
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Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english › go-to-the-country
GO TO THE COUNTRY definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
Mainly British to dissolve Parliament and hold an election.... Click for English pronunciations, examples sentences, video.
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Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › country
COUNTRY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of COUNTRY is an indefinite usually extended expanse of land : region. How to use country in a sentence. Did you know?
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Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › country
COUNTRY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
COUNTRY definition: a state or nation. See examples of country used in a sentence.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › dictionary › country
Country Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
COUNTRY meaning: 1 : an area of land that is controlled by its own government nation; 2 : the people who live in a country
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TheFreeDictionary.com
thefreedictionary.com › country
Country - definition of country by The Free Dictionary
A country is one of the political areas that the world is divided into. ... Land that is away from towns and cities is the country.
Find elsewhere
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english › country
COUNTRY | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
COUNTRY definition: 1. an area of land with fixed borders that has full or limited control over its own government and…. Learn more.
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Longman
ldoceonline.com › dictionary › country
country | meaning of country in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE
COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: an area of land that is suitable for a particular activity, has particular features, or is connected with a particular person or peopleADJECTIVES/NOUN + country open country (=away from towns, and with few buildings, walls, trees etc)We left the city and headed towards the open country in the north.wild country (=not used or farmed by people)I love the wild country of the Scottish Highlands.rough country (=difficult to travel over)a vehicle especially designed for rough countrywalking/riding/farming etc countryTo the east is an area of rich farming country.mountain/mountainous countrya vast stretch of mountain countryhill/hilly countryHe grew up in Texas hill country.wooded country (=with a lot of trees)They escaped through hilly, wooded country.desert countryNot much grows in this desert country.
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Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english › country
COUNTRY definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
14 meanings: 1. a territory distinguished by its people, culture, language, geography, etc 2. an area of land distinguished by.... Click for more definitions.
Published   November 23, 2017
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Oxford English Dictionary
oed.com › dictionary › country_n
country, n. & adj. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
country has developed meanings and uses in subjects including · law (Middle English) mining (late 1600s) fortification (late 1600s) oceanography (late 1600s) nautical (late 1600s) hunting (late 1700s) cricket (1870s) popular music (1960s) ... Etymons: French contré. ... The earliest known use of the word country is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for country is from before 1300. ... To ...
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Etymonline
etymonline.com › word › country
Country - Etymology, Origin & Meaning
Etymological evidence and Gothic use indicates the original Germanic sense was "a definite portion of the earth's surface owned by an individual or home of a nation." The meaning was early extended to "solid surface of the earth," a sense which once had belonged to the ancestor of Modern English earth (n.). Original senses of land in English now tend to go with country.
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Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english › country
country noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
Country is the most usual, neutral word for a geographical area that has or used to have its own government. State emphasizes the political organization of an area under an independent government. Especially in British English, it can also mean the government:
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/country › what your definition of country?
r/country on Reddit: What your definition of country?
November 5, 2023 -

So I have heard so many people say “ that ain’t country” so

What is?

I’m asking because to me it’s not about the steel guitar, or any instrument for that matter!

For me it’s something that I relate to, something that make a me think about my position on a subject for example ( somebody’s daughter by tensile towns or what if he and angel tommy stinger”

So I’m just curious what yall consider country?

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Wiktionary
en.wiktionary.org › wiki › country
country - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
But that expropriation of the Third World, [that] has been going on for 400 years, brings us to another revelation: namely, that the Third World is not poor. You don't go to poor countries to make money. There are very few poor countries in this world. Most countries are rich: the Philippines are rich, Brazil is rich, Mexico is rich, Chile is rich; only the people are poor.
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It is an expression mainly used in military or scientific contexts.

In-country:

being or taking place in a country that is the focus of activity (such as military operations or scientific research) by the government or citizens of another country:

  • scientists and in-country colleagues will carry out field research

  • Tropicus Conservation International readied my gear for my first mission in-country — Darryl Young

(M-W)

In-country(adverb & adjective):

In a country rather than operating from outside but in relation to it.

  • as adverb ‘the people we're putting in-country will get instructions from satellite radios’

Usage examples:

‘And then it hands over management of its own in-country operation to that very same company.’

‘The training has begun to have a multiplying effect with initial in-country training now extending to courses conducted outside Iraq.’

‘Typically the station operates out of an in-country US installation, with or without the knowledge of the host country.’

(ODO)

As shown in Ngrm the expression was used from the early '60s, probably during the Vietnam War as suggested in the comment from (answers.com)

  • Since the war lasted so long and so many men were rotating in and out of South Vietnam from so many branches of service; US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, US Air Force, US Coast Guard...and probably civilians too (CIA, Contractors, etc.), plus there were so many 2nd, 3rd, and more "tours" in the Vietnam war...it simplified everything all the way around to simply state "in country." Meaning "he's either here or he ain't."
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My experience confirms the usage (if not the origin) of the phrase, in the jargon of the Vietnam War era. I too came across the explanation given in the Indigenous People's History book, and came immediately to this site to check it out. But I've always seen it as an adjective, as in the examples given, never as a noun. So with all due respect for bro Raffaniello, I'm very skeptical of the author's claim that "in country" is short for "Indian country". She cites no evidence or source for that idea.