contrée

region, land

noun kohn-TREH Rare

Usage Note

Contrée is a somewhat literary or elevated word for a region or stretch of country, evoking distance and often a foreign or wild character — more atmospheric than the neutral région. It appears frequently in fairy tales and historical narratives. Des contrées lointaines (distant lands) is a typical literary collocation.

Examples

"Il venait de contrées lointaines."

Natural Translation

He came from distant lands.

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