Definitions

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

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

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An angle or corner; also, an angular space or nook.
  • noun A portion of space; a parcel of ground.
  • noun A small district; a subdivision of a country.
  • noun In France, the territorial division below an arrondissement and above a commune. See arrondissement.
  • noun In heraldry, a part of the chief, cut off on either the left- or the right-hand upper corner.
  • noun A distinct part or division: as, the cantons of a painting or other representation, or of a flag.
  • noun A variant of canto.
  • noun 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).
  • In heraldry, to furnish with a canton, or furnish a canton with: as, a cross argent cantoned with four scallop-shells.
  • To quarter one's self in a temporary hut or cantonment.
  • To divide into cantons or districts, as territory; divide into distinct portions; with out, to cut out and separate.
  • To allot separate quarters to the different divisions or parts (usually regiments) of: as, to canton an army or a detachment.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To divide into small parts or districts; to mark off or separate, as a distinct portion or division.
  • intransitive verb (Mil.) To allot separate quarters to, as to different parts or divisions of an army or body of troops.
  • noun A small portion; a division; a compartment.
  • noun A small community or clan.
  • noun 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.
  • noun (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.
  • noun obsolete A song or canto.

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

  • noun A division of a political unit
  • noun 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).
  • verb To delineate as a separate district.

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

  • verb divide into cantons, of a country
  • verb provide housing for (military personnel)
  • noun a small administrative division of a country
  • noun a city on the Zhu Jiang delta in southern China; the capital of Guangdong province and a major deep-water port

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Old French, from Old Italian cantone, augmentative of canto, corner, from Vulgar Latin *cantus; see cant.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French canton ("corner").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word canton.

Examples

  • Hospitals in canton Valais have also adopted measures to protect themselves against visitors from the United States, Canada and Britain.

    Coyote Blog » 2009 » September 2009

  • The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland upheld a fine equal to about $100 against a man who was doing just that in what is known as the canton, or state of Appenzell Ausserhoden

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed Michael Babad 2011

  • The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland upheld a fine equal to about $100 against a man who was doing just that in what is known as the canton, or state of Appenzell Ausserhoden

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed Michael Babad 2011

  • Two miles farther is the Ponte Alto, 2740 ft.; where the road crosses the Golo and enters the pastoral country of the Niolo; now called the canton of Calacuccia, comprehending the villages of

    Itinerary through Corsica by its Rail, Carriage & Forest Roads C. B. Black

  • _Volost_; that is, a canton or parish, which was governed by a council composed of the elders of the communes, one of whom was recognized as the chief.

    A Short History of Russia Mary Platt Parmele 1877

  • And in another canton was the following similar legend: ---

    The Antiquary 1845

  • And in another canton was the following similar legend: --

    The Antiquary — Complete Walter Scott 1801

  • And in another canton was the following similar legend: --

    The Antiquary — Volume 01 Walter Scott 1801

  • The Northern Territory flag ushered in the flag design type of "Australia Pale" where the dominant image on the canton is the Southern Cross.

    Cam Riley 2010

  • She lives in the La Poza canton, which is located in the Usulután department.

    Kiva Loans 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • A ginger-flavored liqueur produced in the Guangdong province of China.

    February 24, 2007