canton

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A small territorial division of a country, especially one of the states of Switzerland.
2. n. A subdivision of an arrondissement in France.
3. n. Heraldry A small, square division of a shield, usually in the upper right corner.
4. n. A usually rectangular division of a flag, occupying the upper corner next to the staff.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An angle or corner; also, an angular space or nook.
2. n. A portion of space; a parcel of ground.
3. n. A small district; a subdivision of a country. Specifically— In Switzerland, one of the separate territorial members of the confederation, constituting a distinct state or government.
4. n. In France, the territorial division below an arrondissement and above a commune. See arrondissement.
5. n. In heraldry, a part of the chief, cut off on either the left- or the right-hand upper corner. It is always bounded by straight horizontal and vertical lines, and is generally considered one of the subordinaries. See ordinary.
6. n. A distinct part or division: as, the cantons of a painting or other representation, or of a flag.
7. To divide into cantons or districts, as territory; divide into distinct portions; with out, to cut out and separate.
8. To allot separate quarters to the different divisions or parts (usually regiments) of: as, to canton an army or a detachment.
9. n. A variant of canto.
10. n. In architecture, a thickened or emphasized corner of a building, as where two pilasters are set one on each side of the extreme angle. See cantoned (with cut).
11. In heraldry, to furnish with a canton, or furnish a canton with: as, a cross argent cantoned with four scallop-shells.
12. To quarter one's self in a temporary hut or cantonment.

Wiktionary

1. n. A division of a political unit
2. n. A subdivision of a flag, the rectangular inset on the upper hoist (i.e., flagpole) side (e.g., the stars of the US national flag are in a canton).
3. v. To delineate as a separate district.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. obsolete A song or canto.
2. n. A small portion; a division; a compartment.
3. n. A small community or clan.
4. n. A small territorial district; esp. one of the twenty-two independent states which form the Swiss federal republic; in France, a subdivision of an arrondissement. See Arrondissement.
5. n. (Her.) A division of a shield occupying one third part of the chief, usually on the dexter side, formed by a perpendicular line from the top of the shield, meeting a horizontal line from the side.
6. v. To divide into small parts or districts; to mark off or separate, as a distinct portion or division.
7. v. (Mil.) To allot separate quarters to, as to different parts or divisions of an army or body of troops.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. divide into cantons, of a country
2. v. provide housing for (military personnel)
3. n. a small administrative division of a country
4. n. a city on the Zhu Jiang delta in southern China; the capital of Guangdong province and a major deep-water port