netherlands
UK /ˈnɛðələndz/ · US /ˈnɛðɚləndz/ noun, proper noun
Forms the Netherlands
- noun (slang) Hindquarters, butt.
- noun (slang) Crotch or genitals.
- proper noun The Kingdom of the Netherlands. A country in Western Europe, consisting of four constituent countries: the Netherlands per se, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
- proper noun The main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located primarily in Western Europe bordering Germany and Belgium. Capital and largest city: Amsterdam.
- proper noun (rare, chiefly historical) the Low Countries, a region of Western Europe located around the low-lying areas in and around the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, including the countries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Synonyms
Holland Benelux The Netherlands Kingdom of The Netherlands Nederland
Etymology
Play on Netherlands, from nether + land.
From nether (“lower”) + lands, the country being very low-lying, with a great part below sea level. Either a calque or a parallel formation to Dutch Nederland.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “netherlands”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details