county palatine

American  

noun

counties palatine plural

1. the territory under the jurisdiction of a count palatine.

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county palatine British  

noun

1. the lands of a count palatine

2. (in England and Ireland) a county in which the earl or other lord exercised many royal powers, esp judicial authority

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• counties palatine
  plural

Etymology

Origin of county palatine

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

At the Restoration he was appointed lord-lieutenant, his estates having been restored to him with the addition of the county palatine of Tipperary, taken by James I. from his grandfather.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various

Truly, the county palatine was in sad case, according to Master Potts's account.

From Discovery of Witches The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster by Potts, Thomas, fl. 1612-1618

He became a barrister in 1739, and, after a period of inactivity, obtained a large and profitable practice, becoming a K.C. in 1754, and afterwards attorney-general for the county palatine of Lancaster.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various

Till the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Henry VIII. the royal franchise of Ely, in several statutes, was recognised as the county palatine of Ely.

From Cathedral Cities of England by Gilbert, George

The Queen’s Park, purchased and laid out at a cost of �11,000 with money which devolved to Queen Victoria in right of her duchy and county palatine of Lancaster, was opened in 1879.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various