viscount

[vahy-kount] /ˈvaɪˌkaʊnt/
noun
1.
a nobleman next below an earl or count and next above a baron.
2.
History/Historical. a deputy of a count or earl.
3.
(in England) a sheriff.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English viscounte < Anglo-French; Old French visconte (French vicomte), equivalent to vis vice3 + counte count2, translation Medieval Latin vicecomes
British Dictionary definitions for viscount

viscount

/ˈvaɪkaʊnt/
noun
1.
(in the British Isles) a nobleman ranking below an earl and above a baron
2.
(in various countries) a son or younger brother of a count See also vicomte
3.
(in medieval Europe) the deputy of a count
Word Origin
C14: from Old French visconte, from Medieval Latin vicecomes, from Late Latin vice-vice³ + comescount²
Word Origin and History for viscount
n.

late 14c., "deputy of a count or earl," from Anglo-French and Old French visconte, from Medieval Latin vicecomes (genitive vicecomitis), from Late Latin vice- "deputy" (see vice-) + Latin comes "member of an imperial court, nobleman" (see count (n.)). As a rank in British peerage, first recorded 1440, when John, Baron Beaumont, was made one by Henry VI.