Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein — noun

IPA/ˈlɪktənstaɪn/
KK[lˈɪktənstˌaɪn]IPA/ˈlɪktənstaɪn/

1. a very small country in the Alps, with Switzerland on one side and Austria on th

1.noun
Definition

a very small country in the Alps, with Switzerland on one side and Austria on the other

Example

Feng crossed from Austria into Liechtenstein during his summer cycling trip.

movement pattern: from Austria into Liechtenstein

Amani spent a weekend in Liechtenstein hiking above Vaduz with her cousins.

location pattern: in Liechtenstein

Common collocations
  • in Liechtenstein
  • from Liechtenstein
  • to Liechtenstein
  • capital of Liechtenstein

Grammar Patterns

in Liechtenstein

from Liechtenstein

to Liechtenstein

Usage Note

Always capitalized. As a country name it normally takes no article, so you say 'in Liechtenstein' rather than 'in the Liechtenstein'. The same word is also used before another noun in the adjective sense, as in 'Liechtenstein passport'.

Common Mistakes

We drove through the Liechtenstein on Saturday.
We drove through Liechtenstein on Saturday.
Most country names, including Liechtenstein, do not take 'the'.
my cousin moved to liechtenstein last year.
My cousin moved to Liechtenstein last year.
Country names are written with a capital letter.

Liechtenstein — adjective

IPA/ˈlɪk.tən.staɪn/
KK[lˈɪktənstˌaɪn]IPA/ˈlɪk.tən.staɪn/

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, and Andorra are all small European states that learners often confuse, but they are not interchangeable. Liechtenstein is landlocked and Alpine, sitting between Switzerland and Austria, and its capital is Vaduz. Luxembourg is larger, multilingual, and closely tied to EU institutions. Monaco is tiny and coastal on the Mediterranean, famous for luxury tourism, casinos, and motor racing. Andorra is also mountainous, but it lies in the Pyrenees between France and Spain rather than in the Alps. Writers also mix up Liechtenstein and Luxembourg because both are wealthy monarchies, but Luxembourg is a grand duchy and an EU member, while Liechtenstein is a principality outside the EU.

Liechtenstein ↗LuxembourgMonacoAndorra ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Liechtenstein passport
  • Liechtenstein company
  • Liechtenstein government
  • capital of Liechtenstein

Phrases

  • a bank in Liechtenstein
  • the capital of Liechtenstein
  • border with Liechtenstein

Prepositions

  • in Liechtenstein
  • from Liechtenstein
  • to Liechtenstein

Etymology

GermanEnglish

The country takes its name from the princely House of Liechtenstein. That family name comes from Liechtenstein Castle in present-day Austria, and the German elements literally suggest 'light' or 'bright' stone. When the family acquired its Alpine territory in the early eighteenth century, the new principality kept the same name. In modern English, Liechtenstein functions simply as the established name of the country.