ENGLISH
REFERENCE

canton

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈkæntən// UK //kˈæntɒn// can·ton Archaic

n. a specific administrative division of a country, like a province or state. Switzerland is made up of twenty-six cantons.

n. a territorial division of a sovereign state, typically with its own local government and legal authority. Common in Switzerland and historically in China.


SIMPLE

Zurich is one of the cantons in Switzerland.

CONTEXTUAL

Each canton in Switzerland has its own police force and tax laws.

COMPLEX

The political autonomy granted to each canton allows for significant regional variation in education policy and social welfare programs across the country.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Portuguese Cantão, from Mandarin 廣東 /广东 (Guǎngdōng). Doublet of Guangdong. Compare Spanish Cantón, French Canton, Italian Canton, Russian Кантон (Kanton).

Etymology 2

The town in Oklahoma was named for a nearby cantonment.

Etymology 3

From Canna + -ton, literally “St. Canna's town”.

Etymology 4

The surname is of French or Galician origin.

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