county
county Lexical Profile
county Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A territorial division of a country or state, forming the chief unit of local administration with its own governing council, courts, and public services.
"Property taxes collected by the county help fund public schools, road maintenance, and emergency services."
The people or residents of an administrative county considered collectively.
"The entire county turned out to celebrate the opening of the new community hospital."
In historical feudal Europe, the domain, territory, or jurisdiction ruled by a count or earl.
"During the Middle Ages, the Count of Flanders governed one of the wealthiest counties in western Europe."
Word Nuance & Usage
In the United States, a county is a subdivision of a state (except in Louisiana, where the equivalent unit is a parish, and Alaska, where it is a borough). In the United Kingdom and Ireland, counties are primary historical and administrative divisions directly beneath the national or constituent country level.
• Rhymes for county
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-Norman French 'counte', derived from Medieval Latin 'comitatus', meaning the jurisdiction of a count ('comes'). Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, the term replaced the Old English word 'scir' (shire) for the chief administrative divisions of England.