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county

1
[ koun-tee ]
/ ˈkaʊn ti /
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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.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
candystring
candyfloss
candypuff
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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, originally verbal noun of comitārī to accompany, derivative of comes

Words nearby county

country store, countrywide, countrywoman, countship, count to ten, county, county agent, county board, county borough, county clerk, county commissioner

Other definitions for county (2 of 2)

county2
[ koun-tee ]
/ ˈkaʊn ti /
noun Obsolete.
count2.

Origin of county

2
1540–50; <Anglo-French countecount2; -y by confusion with county1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to county

canton, constituency, division, shire

How to use county in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for county

county
/ (ˈkaʊntɪ) /
noun plural -ties
  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
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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