English Reference

Word

swiss

Phoneticsswiss

/ˈswɪs/

Definitions

01from Switzerland

A2

adj. coming from or related to Switzerland.

adj. relating to Switzerland or its inhabitants.

“The Swiss mountains are famous for their beautiful hiking trails.”

“The Swiss government maintains a long-standing policy of neutrality in international conflicts.”

Usage

Always capitalized as it is a proper adjective.

02a person

A2

n. a person from Switzerland.

n. a native or inhabitant of Switzerland, or a person of Swiss descent.

“He is a Swiss who moved to London to study art.”

“The Swiss are known for their multilingualism, often speaking German, French, and Italian.”

Usage

The plural can be 'the Swiss' (collective) or 'Swiss people'.

03cheese

B1 · Cooking

n. a type of pale yellow cheese with many holes.

n. a firm, pale yellow cheese characterized by large holes, originally made in Switzerland.

“I would like a ham and Swiss sandwich for lunch, please.”

“The chef recommended a slice of aged Swiss to complement the tartness of the green apples.”

American English

Usage

Often used as an uncountable noun in American English to refer to the specific style of cheese.

Synonyms

Emmental

Etymology

Adopted from Middle French Suisse in circa 1515, alongside the form Switzer directly loaned from German.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/swiss

English Reference