country: [13] Etymologically, the meaning of country is virtually ‘surroundings’. It originated in medieval Latin contrātus ‘lying on the opposite side’, an adjective formed from the proposition contrā ‘against, opposite’. This was used in the phrase terra contrāta ‘land opposite or before one, spread out around one’, and soon broke free to act as a noun in its own right.
In Old French it became cuntree, the form in which it was borrowed into English. Its original notion of ‘area of land’ had quickly become narrowed down to ‘district controlled or occupied by a particular people’, hence ‘nation’, but its use for ‘rural areas as opposed to cities’ does not seem to have developed until the 16th century. The compound countryside originated in Scotland and northern England, probably in the 17th century.
country (n.)
mid-13c., "district, native land," from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin *(terra) contrata "(land) lying opposite," or "(land) spread before one," from Latin contra "opposite, against" (see contra-). Sense narrowed 1520s to rural areas, as opposed to cities. Replaced Old English land. As an adjective from late 14c. First record of country-and-western music style is from 1942. Country club first recorded 1886. Country mile "a long way" is from 1915, American English.
例文
1. Many areas in the country 'sinterior are unable to report Aids cases immediately.
同国本土の多くの地域ではエイズ症例を即時に報告できない。
2.The country 's economic plight is strangling its scientific institutions.
同国の経済的ジレンマが研究機関の仕事の進展を阻害している。
3.The rail strike is causing major disruptions at the country 's ports.
鉄道ストは同国の港を混乱させた。
4.It is hard to get hold of guns in this country .
この国で銃を手に入れるのは難しい。
5.Nuclear weapons plants across the country are heavily contaminated with toxic wastes.