canton

Etymology 1

1530s, from Middle French canton, from Old French canton (“corner”); heraldic sense from the 1570s, geographic sense from c. 1600.

noun

1. A division of a political unit.
   1. One of the states comprising the Swiss Confederation.
   2. A subdivision of an arrondissement of France.
   3. A division of Luxembourg, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.
   4. (obsolete) A subdivision of a county, of Quebec, Canada; equivalent to a township.
2. A small community or clan.
3. A subdivision of a flag, the rectangular inset on the upper hoist (i.e., flagpole) side (e.g., the stars of the US national flag are in a canton).
4. (heraldry) A division of a shield occupying one third of the chief, usually on the dexter side, formed by a perpendicular line from the top meeting a horizontal line from the side.
   The king gave us the arms of England to be borne in a canton in our arms.

verb

1. (transitive) To delineate as a separate district.
2. (transitive) To divide into cantons.
3. (transitive) To allot quarters to troops.

Etymology 2

noun

1. (obsolete) A song or canto.