county
1
[ koun-tee ]
/ ˈkaʊn ti /
noun, plural coun·ties.
the largest administrative division of a U.S. state: Miami, Florida, is in Dade County.
one of the chief administrative divisions of a country or state, as in Great Britain and Ireland.
one of the larger divisions for purposes of local administration, as in Canada and New Zealand.
the territory of a county, especially its rural areas: We farmed out in the county before moving to town.
the inhabitants of a county: It was supposed to be a secret, but you told the whole county.
the domain of a count or earl.
Origin of county
1
1250–1300; Middle English
counte < Anglo-French
counté, Old French
cunté, conte < Late Latin
comitātus imperial seat, office of a
comes (see
count2), equivalent to Latin
comit-, stem of
comes +
-ātus
-ate3 (or by reanalysis of Latin
comitātus escort, retinue, orig. verbal noun of
comitārī to accompany, derivative of
comes
Words nearby county
Definition for county (2 of 2)
Example sentences from the Web for county
British Dictionary definitions for county
county
/ (ˈkaʊntɪ) /
noun plural -ties
- any of the administrative or geographic subdivisions of certain states, esp any of the major units into which England and Wales are or have been divided for purposes of local government
- (as modifier)county cricket
NZ
an electoral division in a rural area
obsolete
the lands under the jurisdiction of a count or earl
adjective
British informal
having the characteristics and habits of the inhabitants of country houses and estates, esp an upper-class accent and an interest in horses, dogs, etc
Word Origin for county
C14: from Old French
conté land belonging to a count, from Late Latin
comitātus office of a count, from
comes
count ²