county1

[koun-tee] /ˈkaʊn ti/
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.
Origin
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

county2

[koun-tee] /ˈkaʊn ti/
noun, Obsolete
1.
count2 .
Origin
1540-50; < Anglo-French counte count2; -y by confusion with county1
Examples from the web for county
  • The legal landscape for gays and lesbians pursuing adoption varies considerably by state and even at times by county.
  • county chiefs remain at the mercy of their prefectural-level superiors, who retain a critical say in county appointments.
  • Only parts of each county are designated, depending on how far emissions from the industries travel.
  • The trial itself was a circus, largely a publicity stunt for the county.
  • The county coroner told the newspaper that the professor had died of natural causes.
  • There are so many indoor pot farms running expensive all-day gro-lights in the county.
  • They then recorded the month in which the error was made, and whether the incident occurred in a county with teaching hospitals.
  • But yet it is executed, and well executed, and usually by some of the principal gentlemen of the county.
  • Government offices will be closed and the county's employees will have a paid day off.
  • If the missing votes split at the same rate as the rest of the county, she would easily have won.
British Dictionary definitions for county

county

/ˈkaʊntɪ/
noun (pl) -ties
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.
(NZ) an electoral division in a rural area
3.
(obsolete) the lands under the jurisdiction of a count or earl
adjective
4.
(Brit, 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
C14: from Old French conté land belonging to a count, from Late Latin comitātus office of a count, from comescount²
Word Origin and History for county
n.

c.1300, from Anglo-French counte, from Late Latin comitatus "jurisdiction of a count," from Latin comes (see count (n.)); replaced Old English scir "shire."

Encyclopedia Article for county

internal territorial and administrative division in the United Kingdom, United States, and other English-speaking countries.

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