cantonn.1
/ˈkantən//kanˈtɒn/ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > angularity > [noun] > angle or corner > internal or pointing inward > in an enclosed space or a nook
anglea1325
nookc1380
cantona1533
quoin1795
nooking1828
ingle1877
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1535) f. 154v Whan I kept the Cantons [printed Cautons], I ietted in the stretes.
1598 B. Yong tr. J. de Montemayor Diana 87 The house was quadrant, and at euery Canton was reared vp a high and artificiall tower.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 73 In the inmost nouke of the creeke, the very canton and angle of Bœotia is washed by the sea.
1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais 1st Bk. Wks. xlviii. 216 He..with his Artillery began to thunder so terribly upon that canton of the wall.
2.
a. Heraldry. An ordinary of a shield or escutcheon, being a square division less than a quarter, occupying the upper (usually dexter) corner of the shield.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > [noun] > less honourable charge > square section in upper corner
canton1572
1572 J. Bossewell Wks. Armorie ii. f. 39 Whan ye shall see anye token abated, by the dignitie of the Canton.
1662 J. Evelyn Mem. (1857) I. 389 The King gave us [the Royal Society] the arms of England to be borne in a canton in our arms.
1808 Regul. relat. to Service at Sea iv. i. 79 Merchant Ships are to carry a Red Ensign with the Union Jack in a canton.
1864 C. Boutell Heraldry Hist. & Pop. (ed. 3) xv. 208 Heirs of an Heiress, who are not also heirs of their father, should bear on a Canton their father's arms.
1872 J. Ruskin Eagle's Nest §235.
b. ‘Also used for the angular spaces between the branches of a cross or saltier’ (Chambers Cycl.).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > cross > [noun] > space between branches of
canton1830
1830 E. S. N. Campbell Dict. Mil. Sci. at Colours The Second Colour..is the St. George's Cross throughout, the Union in the upper Canton, the other three Cantons black.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > one of the parts into which anything is divided
dealinga1300
divisionc1374
partc1392
spacec1392
long divisionc1400
severingc1400
skyvaldc1400
foddinga1425
panelc1450
partition1561
roomstead1600
canton1601
separation1604
share1643
scissurea1667
cutting1726
departmenta1735
segment1762
compartment1793
distribution1829
segregation1859
dept.1869
section1875
tmema1891
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 434 A square piece or canton of the fish Tuny salted and condited.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 462 If you regard number, all Greece..is not able to furnish us, for it would but answere one portion or canton of their [the Persians'] multitude.
1631 R. Brathwait Whimzies xv. 117 Hee quarters out his life into foure Cantons, Eating, drinking, sleeping and riding.
1686 Bp. G. Burnet Some Lett. conc. Switzerland v. 264 Another peece of his [sc. Holbein's]..in which, in six several Cantons, the several parts of our Saviours Passion are represented.
1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 405 How many Degrees are required to be a canton of thy knowledge?
4.
a. A subdivision of a country; a small district.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > a land or country > part of country or district > [noun]
endc893
shirec893
estrec1275
sidec1325
bounds1340
provincea1382
partc1400
landmark1550
tract1553
canton1601
neighbourhood1652
district1712
section1785
circumscription1831
location1833
block1840
strip1873
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 56 The description by him made of all Italy, which be diuided into 11 Regions or Cantons.
1602 W. Warner Epitome Hist. Eng. in Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) 359 The Saxon Heptarchia or their seauen Kingdomes, Cantons or Colonies here erected.
1702 Eng. Theophrastus 319 Men who have been the refuse of a little canton, and are now the honour of the world.
1765 T. Hutchinson Hist. Colony Massachusets-Bay, 1628–91 (ed. 2) ii. 277 The Indians..divided into smaller cantons.
1796 T. Jefferson Writings (1859) IV. 153 In the retired canton where I live, we know little of what is passing.
1839 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) I. 343 Cypselus, king of Arcadia, or of some Arcadian canton.
b. A parcel of ground; a portion of space.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > [noun] > defined or limited portion of space
spacec1380
quantity?a1425
rooma1425
roomth1550
content1577
roomstead1600
canton1643
area1700
the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > [noun] > portion or unit of
pounds worthOE
school land1466
shot1478
ground1548
officiary1594
canton1643
lotment1651
bovate1688
fraction1789
mahal1793
erf1812
fractional section1815
forty1845
tan1871
1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) i. §15 There are no Grotesques in nature: not any thing framed to fill up empty cantons and unnecessary spaces. View more context for this quotation
1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iv. iii. 277 This little Canton, I mean this System of our Sun.
1693 J. Evelyn tr. J. de La Quintinie Compl. Gard'ner i. iii. xx. 180 All the Fruits of the same season, should be placed in the same Canton, or Parcel of Ground.
5. spec.
a. One of the several sovereign states which form the Swiss confederation.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > a or the state > [noun] > a union or confederacy of states > state forming part of a confederation > Swiss
canton1611
parity-canton1899
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Canton,..proper to Helvetia, or Switzerland; which, at this day consists of thirteene such Cantons).
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) xiv. 73 The Switzers last well, notwithstanding their Diuersitie of Religion, and of Cantons.
1720 London Gaz. No. 5860/1 Berne, June 12..One of the Avoyers or Chief Magistrates of the Canton.
1868 M. E. Grant Duff Polit. Surv. 21 Pure democracy..has long existed in several of the small cantons.
b. In France, a division of an arrondissement containing several communes, answering somewhat to the hundred in England.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > [noun] > in France
canton1611
generalty1611
generality1615
arrondissement1746
section1785
commune1790
department1793
inspection1888
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Canton,..a Canton, or Hundred; a Precinct.
1838 Penny Cycl. X. 416/1 The smallest judicial divisions are cantons, each of which..in the rural districts comprehends several communes..The whole number of cantons in the kingdom is 2834.
1848 W. K. Kelly tr. L. Blanc Hist. Ten Years I. 50 An electoral college in each canton.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online June 2020).
† cantonn.2
Obsolete.
1. A song; = canto n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > a song > [noun]
songeOE
leothOE
galec1200
rounc1225
laya1240
gammec1425
muse1528
cantion1579
madrigal1589
canzon1590
canzone1590
canton1594
canto1603
cantilene1635
cantilena1740
Lied1852
art song1875
canzonetta1947
society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > poem or piece of poetry > lyric poem > [noun] > poem to be sung
songeOE
wordseOE
leothOE
laya1240
dittya1300
ditea1325
ode1579
dit1590
canton1594
canto1603
1594 Zepheria ii. sig. C2 How many Cantons then, sent I to thee?
1609 T. Heywood Troia Britanica xii. xviii They Oades and Cantons sing.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. v. 259 Write loyall Cantons of contemned loue. View more context for this quotation
2. = canto n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > part of poem > [noun] > canto
fitc888
canto1590
canticle1596
canton1609
jornada1656
duan1763
1609 T. Heywood (title) Troia Britanica, or Great Britaines Troy. A poem deuided into XVII. seuerall Cantons.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
Cantonn.3
Used attributively to denote various manufactured articles, as Canton china, Canton crape, Canton enamel, Canton flannel, Canton matting.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacture or production > [adjective] > manufactured or produced > manufactured in specific place
homemade1565
town-made1700
made1747
Canton1860
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > with nap > cotton plush
swan's-down1801
cotton flannel1845
Canton flannel1860
1860 Texas Almanac 244 Shirts, Carpets, Canton-Matting, shoes.
1865 M. Eyre Lady's Walks South of France xvii. 195 A lady's worked Canton crape shawl.
1881 C. C. Harrison Woman's Handiwork Mod. Homes i. 47 Canton flannel,..a soft, downy fabric, the same on both sides.
1881 C. C. Harrison Woman's Handiwork Mod. Homes iii. 231 Blue Canton china of the willow pattern.
1889 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 381 A good quality of canton flannel.
1910 S. W. Bushell Chinese Art (ed. 2) II. 82 Painted enamels on copper..often known as ‘Canton enamels’.
1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 222 Canton crêpe. Originally made of silk from Canton, this crêpe is widely used for dresses; it has a very pebbly surface and drapes and hangs beautifully.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1933; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
cantonv.
/ˈkantən//kanˈtɒn/ 1. transitive. To quarter, divide:
a. To divide (land) into portions; to part, share. Also with out.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (transitive)] > divide into shares > divide and share out > land
lot1523
canton1598
to set outa1684
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > divide [verb (transitive)] > into parcels or portions > specific land
canton1598
partition1880
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Cantonare..Also to canton.
1602 W. Watson Decacordon Ten Quodlibeticall Questions 62 (margin) The Iesuits are iolly fellowes to cap crownes, to canton Kingdoms.
1652 P. Heylyn Cosmographie iii. sig. Qqq Cantoning his Estates amongst his Children.
1701 D. Defoe True-born Englishman i. 13 He canton'd out the Country to his Men, And ev'ry Soldier was a Denizen.
1747 T. Carte Gen. Hist. Eng. I. 287 The great lords, among whom the country was cantoned.
1875 H. Rogers Superhuman Origin Bible (ed. 3) ii. 68 How contentedly they ‘cantoned’ out the world amongst them.
b. spec. To subdivide into cantons or districts.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > divide into administrative areas [verb (transitive)]
cantonize1608
canton1619
district1792
shire1810
to map out1860
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > divide [verb (transitive)] > subdivide > specific land
subdivide1584
canton1619
1619 Sir D. Carleton in S. R. Gardiner Lett. Relations Eng. & Germany (1868) 2nd Ser. 7 Follow the example of..the Swisse, in cantoning themselves.
1699 J. Potter Archæologiæ Græcæ II. iii. i. 2 Being canton'd into a great number of..States.
1713 W. Derham Physico-theol. iv. x. 172 They..begun to be cantoned into distinct Nations.
1769 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. IV. 403 Where any kingdom is cantoned out into provincial establishments.
1851 Thirlwall Charge 16 note Hereupon they [the bishops] cantoned their great dioceses into Archdeaconries.
c. transferred. To subdivide or cut out (generally).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > divide [verb (transitive)]
to-shedc888
to-dealeOE
dealc950
twemea1023
to-doOE
to-shiftc1122
brittenc1175
sunderc1230
depart1297
parta1300
twain15..
dividec1380
minisha1382
dressc1410
dissever1417
sever1435
quarterc1440
distinct1526
videc1540
disperse1548
several1570
separate1581
dirempt1587
distinguish1609
piecemeal1611
discrete1624
dispart1629
slit1645
parcel1652
canton1653
tripartite1653
split1707
carve1711
scind1869
1653 Consid. Dissolving Court of Chancery 36 The cantoning or cutting of the Courts at Westminster into so many County Courts, or parts.
1667 R. Allestree Causes Decay Christian Piety ix. 258 When they came to be..cantond out into curious aerial notions.
1720 R. Welton tr. T. Alvares de Andrade Sufferings Son of God I. x. 253 Who canton their Devotions in Quadrature with the World.
2. To divide (a part) from, or cut (it) out of a whole; to separate, sever by division. archaic or Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate [verb (transitive)] > separate from main body
skillc1175
to tell outc1325
shillc1440
sequestrate1513
sorta1535
shoal1571
segregate1579
dismember1580
single1582
scatter1588
disgregate1593
recond1608
sepone1619
sequester1625
canton1653
to cantonize outa1670
portion1777
to set off1795
to comb out1854
distinguish1866
split1924
hive off1931
section1960
separate1962
1653 Consid. Dissolving Court of Chancery 63 To canton out a part of his Kingdom to be tryed by a Commission.
1681 Whole Duty of Nations 14 A Nation or Kingdom is a part of Mankind canton'd from the whole world.
c1690 J. Locke Thoughts on Conduct of Understanding §3 They canton out to themselves a little Goshen in the intellectual world.
1741 I. Watts Improvem. Mind i. ix. 128 They canton out to themselves a little Province in the intellectual World.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > customs, values, and civilization > [verb (intransitive)] > process
canton1611
cantonize1611
segment1940
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > copiousness > be copious [verb (intransitive)] > digress
overleapc1400
to cast, fet, fetch, go, take a compass?a1500
digress1530
traverse1530
decline?1543
square1567
rovea1575
deviate1638
to step aside1653
swerve1658
to sally out1660
transgress1662
to run off1687
canceleera1697
cantona1734
excurse1748
to travel out of the record1770
divagate1852
desult1872
sidetrack1893
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Se Cantonner, to canton, or cantonnize, it; to seuer themselues from the rest of their fellowes, or from the bodie of a State, and fortifie, quarter, or erect a new State, apart.
a1649 W. Drummond Wks. (1711) 56/1 Hold those Subjects too too wanton, [That] Under an old King dare canton.
a1734 R. North Lives of Norths II. 92 I have not cantoned much from the places intended express for particularities of this nature.
4.
a. transitive. To quarter (soldiers); to provide with quarters. Pronounced /kænˈtɒn/ and /kænˈtuːn/.
/kænˈtɒn/ and /kænˈtuːn/.ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > quarter (troops) [verb (transitive)]
furry1579
quarter1588
billet1599
cantonize1626
enquarter1642
canton1700
1700 P. Rycaut Hist. Turks III. 384 Leaving some of their Horse Cantoned near the City.
a1753 P. Drake Memoirs (1755) II. iii. 141 The small Corps, that were cantooned about that Neighbourhood.
1753 Philos. Trans. 1751–2 (Royal Soc.) 47 194 The Greys were cantoon'd in the village of Vucht near Boisleduc.
1855 W. Sargent Braddock's Exped. 142 An absurd plan for cantoning them in small divisions all over the country.
b. figurative. To quarter, or locate in detachments.
ΚΠ
1773 G. White Let. 9 Nov. in Nat. Hist. Selborne (1789) 97 I myself have found these birds in little parties in the autumn cantoned all along the Sussex downs.
1773 G. White Let. 9 Dec. in Nat. Hist. Selborne (1789) 164 The variegated breed of his son-in-law Jacob were cantoned along on the other.
a1779 H. Walpole Mem. George II (1847) III. vi. 157 The whole body of Whigs were cantoned out in attachments to the Dukes of Newcastle and Bedford.
5. intransitive (for reflexive). To quarter (oneself), take up cantonments or quarters.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabiting temporarily > [verb (intransitive)]
liec1000
harbourc1200
sojournc1290
layc1300
sojourc1330
to make, take (up) one's lodging1362
pilgrimagea1382
bield?a1400
lodgec1400
tarryc1400
to make (one's) residence1433
harbingec1475
harbry1513
stay1554
roost?1555
embower1591
quarter1591
leaguer1596
allodge1601
tenta1616
visit1626
billet1628
to lie abroad1650
tabernacle1653
sojourney1657
canton1697
stop1797
to shake down1858
to hole up1875
perendinate1886
shack1935
cotch1950
society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > take up quarters [verb (intransitive)]
canton1697
1697 J. Potter Archæologiæ Græcæ I. iii. iii. 10 His People..canton'd up and down the Countrey.
1707 London Gaz. No. 4381/1 Our Army hath..received Orders to canton.
1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India II. ix. i. 279 He..cantoned for the rains near the present site of Calcutta.
6. Heraldry. To furnish (a shield or cross) with a canton or cantons; to furnish the cantons with; to place in a canton. See also quot. 1688.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > place charge on [verb (transitive)] > provide with or place in canton(s)
canton1688
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory i. viii. §45 This is of some Blasoned two Barrs Cantoned, thereby shewing that the higher hath a Canton joined to it.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) A Cross Argent, canton'd with four Scollop Shells.
1864 C. Boutell Heraldry Hist. & Pop. (ed. 3) xxi. 365 The cross of St. George cantoning in the first quarter a sword erect gu[les].
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online September 2021).
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n.1a1533
n.21594n.31860v.1598