French word

contrée

Pronunciation

IPA/kɔ̃tʁe/

Meaning

  • feminine nounregion

Example

Il vient d'une contrée lointaine.

He comes from a distant region.

Illustration for contrée (region)

More examples

La contrée alentour est peu peuplée.

The surrounding region is sparsely populated.

Core concept

A remote region presented as a place with a character and atmosphere of its own.

Similar words

région: A relatively large tract marked by geographic or administrative boundaries.
pays: The land belonging to an independent nation.
campagne: The countryside, with fields and villages beyond urban areas.
province: A territorial administrative unit within a nation.

Definition in French

Terme désignant une région ou un territoire, employé surtout pour évoquer l'éloignement ou la particularité d'un lieu dans un registre littéraire.

Word origin

Old French contrée comes from Late Latin contrata, related to contra, 'opposite', and the sense developed from land on the other side to a region.

Usage tips

  • Contrée lointaine is a familiar literary collocation, whereas ordinary factual writing more often uses région éloignée or territoire lointain.

Other meanings

  • countrynoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word