canton

¹ American  

[kan-tn, -ton, kan-ton, kan-ton, -tohn, -toon] / ˈkæn tn, -tɒn, kænˈtɒn, kænˈtɒn, -ˈtoʊn, -ˈtun /

noun

1. a small territorial district, especially one of the states of the Swiss confederation.

2. (in a department of France) a division of an arrondissement.

3. Heraldry. a square area in the dexter chief, or right-hand corner, of an escutcheon, often distinctively treated: a diminutive of the dexter chief quarter.

4. Architecture. a pilaster or similar feature projecting from the corner of a building.

5. Obsolete. a division, part, or portion of anything.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to divide into parts or portions.

2. to divide into cantons or territorial districts.

3. to allot quarters to (soldiers, troops, etc.).

Canton ² American  

[kan-ton, kan-ton, kan-tn] / kænˈtɒn, ˈkæn tɒn, ˈkæn tn /

noun

1. (Older Spelling) Kwangchow.  (Wade-Giles) Kuangchou.  (Pinyin) Guangzhou.  Older Spelling. a seaport in and the capital of Guangdong province, in southeastern China, on the Zhu Jiang.

2. a city in northeastern Ohio: location of the football Hall of Fame.

3. a city in eastern Massachusetts.

4. a city in western central Illinois.

5. a town in central Mississippi.

---

canton ¹ British  

noun

1. any of the 23 political divisions of Switzerland

2. a subdivision of a French arrondissement

3. heraldry a small square or oblong charge on a shield, usually in the top left corner

---

verb

1. (tr) to divide into cantons

2. (esp formerly) to allocate accommodation to (military personnel)

Canton ² British  

noun

1. Chinese names: Guangzhou.   Kwangchow.  a port in SE China, capital of Guangdong province, on the Zhu Jiang (Pearl River): the first Chinese port open to European trade. Pop: 3 881 000 (2005 est)

2. a city in the US, in NE Ohio. Pop: 80 806 (2000)

---

Other Word Forms

• cantonal adjective
• cantonalism noun
• uncantoned adjective

Etymology

Origin of canton

1525–35; < Middle French < Old Provençal, derivative of can side, edge ( cant ² )

Example Sentences

It’s levied annually by individual cantons on all residents, at rates reaching up to about 1% of net worth, after deductions and exclusions for certain categories of assets.

From Los Angeles Times

Under Switzerland's political system, power is distributed among three levels of the confederation, 26 cantons and then about 2,131 municipalities.

From BBC

Late Sunday, police in Switzerland's Wallis canton said they had identified all of the deceased.

From Barron's

Valais canton police said investigators had identified the remains of a Swiss woman of 21, a man of 18, as well as a girl of 16 and a boy of 16.

From Barron's

More than 30 specialists drawn from several Swiss cantons are involved in the process of identifying victims, Swiss officials said Friday at a press conference.

From The Wall Street Journal