canton
can·ton (kan′tən, -tän′; kan tän′; for vt. 2 kan tän′, -tōn′ & Brit, kən to̵̅o̅n′)
noun
- any of the political divisions of a country or territory; specif.,
- any of the states in the Swiss Republic
- a division of an arrondissement in France
- Heraldry a small, square section of a shield, usually in the upper dexter corner
- a rectangular section in a flag, in the upper corner nearest the staff
Etymology: Fr < It cantone < LL cantus: see cant
transitive verb
- to divide into cantons
- to assign quarters to (troops, etc.); quarter
Related Forms:
- cantonal can′·tonal adjective
Can·ton (kan tän′; for 2 kant′'n)
Etymology: after Canton, suburb of Boston, named for the Chinese city
city in EC Ohio: pop. 81,000
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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