canton
[kan-tn, -ton, kan-ton for 1–7; kan-ton, -tohn, or, esp. British, -toon for 8]
- a small territorial district, especially one of the states of the Swiss confederation.
- (in a department of France) a division of an arrondissement.
- 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.
- Architecture. a pilaster or similar feature projecting from the corner of a building.
- Obsolete. a division, part, or portion of anything.
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- to divide into parts or portions.
- to divide into cantons or territorial districts.
- to allot quarters to (soldiers, troops, etc.).
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Origin of canton
Canton
[kan-ton, kan-ton for 1; kan-tn for 2–5]
Guangdong
[gwahng-dawng]
- a province in SE China. 89,344 sq. mi. (231,401 sq. km). Capital: Canton.
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Also Kwangtung.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for canton
Contemporary Examples
The Democrat's early voting edge in Stark means that they are confident of winning the cities of Canton, Massillon, and Alliance.
The memory of 1912, Carlisle, and Canton was as fresh as yesterday in that pre-television era.
In 1915 Thorpe started also playing and coaching the “reptile sport” of professional football in Canton, Ohio.
“I am totally undecided,” says Ryan Ayers, an independent voter who lives in Canton, Ohio and who voted for John McCain in 2008.
In an early 1990s, as a still-recent transplant to America, Huang drove from Tuscaloosa to Buffalo and passed Canton, Ohio.
Historical Examples
I now got my wages for the Canton voyage; but they lasted me only a fortnight!
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
We arrived at Canton in due time, and found our cargo ready for us.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
On her arrival at Canton, I told the captain my views, and he allowed me to go.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
The largest is that at Honan, the southern suburb of Canton.
ArchitectureThomas Roger Smith
In the Novouzensky canton, for example, they constituted 40 per cent.
England and GermanyEmile Joseph Dillon
canton
- any of the 23 political divisions of Switzerland
- a subdivision of a French arrondissement
- (ˈkæntən) heraldry a small square or oblong charge on a shield, usually in the top left corner
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- (kænˈtɒn) (tr) to divide into cantons
- (kənˈtuːn) (esp formerly) to allocate accommodation to (military personnel)
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Word Origin
C16: from Old French: corner, division, from Italian cantone, from canto corner, from Latin canthus iron rim; see cant ²
Canton
- (kænˈtɒn) 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)Chinese names: Guangzhou, Kwangchow
- (ˈkæntən) a city in the US, in NE Ohio. Pop: 80 806 (2000)
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Guangdong
Kwangtung
- a province of SE China, on the South China Sea: includes the Leizhou Peninsula, with densely populated river valleys; traditionally also including Macao and Hong Kong; the only true tropical climate in China. Capital: Canton. Pop: 79 540 000 (2003 est). Area: 197 100 sq km (76 100 sq miles)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for canton
n.
1530s, "corner, angle," from Middle French canton "piece, portion of a country" (13c.), from Italian (Lombard dialect) cantone "region," especially in the mountains, augmentative of Latin canto "section of a country," literally "corner" (see cant (n.2)). Originally in English a term in heraldry and flag descriptions; applied to the sovereign states of the Swiss republic from 1610s. Related: Cantoned.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper