# Switzerland

Pronunciation: US say "SWIT-sur-luhnd" /ˈswɪt.sɚ.lənd/; UK say "SWIT-suh-luhnd" /ˈswɪt.sə.lənd/

## Proper noun

1. A landlocked country in western and central Europe, officially the Swiss Confederation, with Bern serving as its de facto capital.
   - Simple: A country in central and western Europe, known for its mountains and neutrality. Its main city is Bern.
   - _Switzerland shares borders with France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Liechtenstein._
   - _Banking and precision watchmaking have long been pillars of the economy in Switzerland._

## Noun

2. A neutral party in a dispute, one who refuses to take sides between the opposing groups.
   - Simple: A person or group that stays neutral and refuses to take sides in an argument.
   - _When her two best friends fell out, she chose to be Switzerland rather than alienate either of them._
   - _The mediator declared himself Switzerland for the duration of the negotiations._

## Origin

A compound of 'Switzer' and '-land', adopted in the 16th century from Early Modern German Schwytzerland ('land of the Swiss').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/switzerland (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).