An archaic or dialectal spelling of 'country'; a region, nation, or area of land with definable borders.
An older English spelling of country, from Old French contree. The word evolved from Latin comitatus (territory of a count), showing how many countries got their names from their medieval rulers.
Medieval spelling was wild—you'll find 'countree,' 'countrey,' and 'country' all in Shakespeare's time, and it tells us how recently English settled on standard spellings that everyone agrees on.
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