Word
switzerland
Phoneticsswitzer·land
/ˈswɪtsɝɫənd/
Definitions
01the country
n. a mountainous country in Central Europe that is famous for its neutrality, watches, and chocolate.
n. a landlocked federal republic in Central Europe, officially the Swiss Confederation.
“Many people visit Switzerland in the winter to go skiing in the Alps.”
“Switzerland maintains a policy of armed neutrality and has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815.”
Synonyms
02a neutral party
n. a person or group that refuses to take sides in an argument or fight.
n. a figurative reference to a person, organisation, or state that maintains a position of strict neutrality during a dispute.
“I am staying out of your argument with Sarah; I am Switzerland.”
“In the ongoing office politics, the HR manager attempted to play Switzerland, refusing to endorse either department's proposal.”
Informal
Usage
Usually used as a predicate nominative after the verb 'to be'.
Etymology
Compound of Switzer + -land, adopted in the 16th century from Early Modern German Schwytzerland (“land of the Swiss”). Noun sense refers to the state’s political neutrality in both World Wars.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/switzerland