old country

American  

noun

1. the original home country of an immigrant or a person's ancestors, especially a European country.

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old country British  

noun

1. the country of origin of an immigrant or an immigrant's ancestors

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Other Word Forms

• old-country
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of old country

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Growing up, Jane Ziegelman often heard stories about the old country from family members gathered at her grandmother’s home in Queens, N.Y.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

The bulk of Maniscalco’s most recognizable bits revolve around stories about his hairdresser father, Salvo, whose no-nonsense immigrant wisdom is exported from the old country.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2024

“I take it back to the old country boy saying that you can’t put 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5-pound sack,” Nelson said.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 15, 2024

Both boys grew up hearing tales of the old country.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2024

It had come to her automatically in the old country from being a de la Torre.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez