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

In addition to industrial users, the water utility serves more than 500,000 people in seven counties.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Last year, the company successfully lobbied to be exempted from holding a county “amusement and transportation system” permit, arguing instead for an oversight plan that removed multiple layers of inspection.

Read more on Salon

His network spans 10 coastal counties, serving both rural and urban communities across the Lowcountry.

Read more on Salon

It is not known who is behind them, but city council leader Stephen Robinson suggested it could be "someone having a gentle poke at the county council".

Read more on BBC

Starting Friday morning, Verizon customers reported cellular and internet interruptions in areas across the county, the spokesperson said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times