Definition of "canton" [can•ton]

• A small territorial division of a country, especially one of the states of Switzerland. (noun)
• A subdivision of an arrondissement in France. (noun)
• Heraldry A small, square division of a shield, usually in the upper right corner. (noun)
• A usually rectangular division of a flag, occupying the upper corner next to the staff. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Hospitals in canton Valais have also adopted measures to protect themselves against visitors from the United States, Canada and Britain."
• "The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland upheld a fine equal to about $100 against a man who was doing just that in what is known as the canton, or state of Appenzell Ausserhoden"
• "Two miles farther is the Ponte Alto, 2740 ft.; where the road crosses the Golo and enters the pastoral country of the Niolo; now called the canton of Calacuccia, comprehending the villages of"