the.com/canton
A political subdivision small enough to argue about parking, big enough to have its own army.
means A small, self-governing territorial division of a country, especially one of the member states of Switzerland.
from From French canton, meaning 'corner' or 'district,' itself from Old French cant, 'corner' or 'edge' — related to the Latin canthus (the iron rim of a wheel), possibly via a Celtic root. The word traveled from 'corner of land' to 'political subdivision,' most famously in Switzerland, where the cantons retain real autonomy — so a word that once meant mere 'corner' ended up meaning a corner with its own flag, laws, and opinions.
- swiss meaning
- Switzerland has 26, each basically its own mini-country
- word origin
- from old french for corner or district
- flag term
- also names the upper corner of a flag
- china usage
- old western name for guangzhou, a trading port