country

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
3. Proto-Italic*kom
4. Proto-Italic*kom-
5. Proto-Italic*komteros
6. Proto-Italic*komterād
7. Latincontrā
8. Vulgar Latin*(terra) contrāta
9. Old Frenchcontree
10. Middle Englishcontre
11. English todaycountry

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).

First known use, by meaning

• from 14th c. The territory of a nation; a sovereign state or a region once independent and still distinct in institutions, language, etc.
• from 13th c. An area of land of undefined extent; a region, a district.
• from 13th c. 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.
• from 16th c. A rural area, as opposed to a town or city; the countryside.
• from ca. 1300 The inhabitants or people of a district, region, or nation; the populace, the public.
• from 20th c. Ellipsis of country music.