■ noun
1》 'kantɒn , kan'tɒn a political or administrative subdivision of a country.
↘a state of the Swiss Confederation.
2》 'kant(ə)n Heraldry a square charge smaller than a quarter and positioned in the upper (usually dexter) corner of a shield.
Derivatives
~al 'kantən(ə)l , kan'təʊn(ə)l adjective
Origin
C16: from OFr., lit. 'corner', from Provençal, related to med. L. cantus (see cant 2 ).