county

¹

[koun-tee]

noun

plural

counties 

1. the largest administrative division of a U.S. state.

   Miami, Florida, is in Dade County.

2. one of the chief administrative divisions of a country or state, as in Great Britain and Ireland.

3. one of the larger divisions for purposes of local administration, as in Canada and New Zealand.

4. the territory of a county, especially its rural areas.

   We farmed out in the county before moving to town.

5. the inhabitants of a county.

   It was supposed to be a secret, but you told the whole county.

6. the domain of a count or earl.

county

²

[koun-tee]

noun

Obsolete.

1. count.

county

/ ˈkaʊntɪ /

noun

1. 1. 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

   2. ( as modifier )

      county cricket

2. an electoral division in a rural area

3. obsolete,  the lands under the jurisdiction of a count or earl

adjective

1. 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 History and Origins

Origin of county¹

1250–1300; Middle English counte < Anglo-French counté, Old French cunté, conte < Late Latin comitātus imperial seat, office of a comes ( count ² ), equivalent to Latin comit-, stem of comes + -ātus -ate ³ (or by reanalysis of Latin comitātus escort, retinue, originally verbal noun of comitārī to accompany, derivative of comes

Origin of county²

1540–50; < Anglo-French counte count ²; -y by confusion with county ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of county¹

C14: from Old French conté land belonging to a count, from Late Latin comitātus office of a count, from comes _count ²

Example Sentences

The top-five counties with the highest share of EV sales were all in the Bay Area.

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Last year, L.A. was one of 10 counties to receive nearly $133 million to rapidly house homeless people and those experiencing mental illness.

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Reform UK swept into county hall in May having secured 57 of the 81 seats, ending nearly three decades of Conservative dominance.

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Residents across an entire county are being asked for their views on a potential council tax hike of up to 10% - as well as the prospect of millions of pounds in cuts.

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But drug use has become a growing concern in the county in recent years.

Read more on Los Angeles Times