countries

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
country/ˈkʌntri/

▶noun (pl. countries)

• 1 a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.

• 2 (often the country) districts outside large urban areas.

• 3 an area or region with regard to its physical features: a tract of wild country.

– phrases
across country not keeping to roads.
go to the country Brit. dissolve Parliament and hold a general election.
one's line of country Brit. a subject in which one is skilled or knowledgeable.

– origin ME: from OFr. cuntree, from med. L. contrata (terra) ‘(land) lying opposite’, from L. contra ‘against, opposite’.