Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • A country of west-central Europe. The region was conquered by Germanic tribes in the 5th century and by Swabia and Burgundy in the 9th, becoming part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1033. Protesting Habsburg control in the 13th century, the Swiss formed a defense league made up of cantons that became the basis of their confederation, and by 1499 they had achieved independence. The Reformation in the 16th century led to religious civil wars that lasted through the next two centuries. The French took brief control of Switzerland during the French Revolution, but the confederacy was restored in 1815. Switzerland later adopted a federal constitution (1848) and maintained a policy of neutrality through both world wars. Bern is the capital and Zurich the largest city.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A sovereign country in south central Europe. Official name: Swiss Confederation.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a landlocked federal republic in central Europe

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Compound of Switzer + land, adopted in the 16th century from Early Modern German Schwytzerland "land of the Swiss".

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Examples

  • Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 115 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (1999) @Switzerland: Transportation

    The 2000 CIA World Factbook United States. Central Intelligence Agency

  • In 1806 appeared Nicolas's _Guide to Switzerland_, in 1777 J.T. Volkmar's _Journey to the Riesengebirge_, and before long each little country and province, be it Weimar, Mecklenburg, or the Mark, had discovered a Switzerland within its own boundaries, with mountains as much like the Swiss Alps as a charming little girl is like a giant.

    The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times Alfred Biese 1893

  • SWITZERLAND: Commercial flights in and out of Switzerland banned until 1800 GMT Saturday.

    The Times of India 2010

  • SWITZERLAND: Commercial flights in and out of Switzerland banned until 1800 GMT Saturday.

    The Times of India 2010

  • SWITZERLAND: Commercial flights in and out of Switzerland banned until 1800 GMT Saturday.

    Bangkokpost.com : Breaking News 2010

  • SWITZERLAND: Switzerland extended a ban on commercial flights at its airports until Monday at 1200 GMT.

    Bangkokpost.com : Breaking News 2010

  • German and Deutsch = language of germany austria switzerland, lichtenstein German is a language with 100 million speakers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and parts of Italy and Belgium.

    Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions 2008

  • By the way I heard this morning on a radio talk show that Switzerland is offering health inssurace companies to open offices in Switzerland in case health system is socialized.

    GOP unveils new health care ad campaign 2009

  • And of course, health-care in Switzerland is superior in almost every way than in the U.K.

    Matthew Yglesias » 2017 2010

  • The thing about Roman Polanski's arrest in Switzerland is that, to see some of the reaction to it, I must be living in Bizarro world.

    Archive 2009-09-01 2009

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