Switzerland
UK /ˈswɪtsələnd/ · US /ˈswɪtsɚlənd/ proper noun, noun
- proper noun A country in Western Europe and Central Europe. Official name: Swiss Confederation. Capital: Bern (de facto). “Much of Switzerland is located in the Alps.”
- noun (figurative) A neutral party in a dispute; one who does not take sides. “I’m not getting involved in this argument. I’m Switzerland.”
Synonyms
Etymology
Compound of Switzer + -land, adopted in the 16th century from Early Modern German Schwytzerland (“land of the Swiss”). Noun sense refers to the state’s political neutrality in both World Wars.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “Switzerland”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details