county
/ˈkaʊn(t)i/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 5.19 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An administrative or geographical region of various countries, including Bhutan, Canada, China, Croatia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and 47 of the 50 United States (excluding Alaska, Connecticut, and Louisiana).
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A definitive geographic region, without direct administrative functions.
Countable; Uncountable
adj
Characteristic of a ‘county family’; representative of the gentry or aristocracy of a county.
Example Sentences
- "The first of the principalities of the Low Countries to take clear shape was the county of Flanders."
- "Entire states such as California, Illinois and New York are now sanctuaries, as well as major cities and counties such as Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and the District of Columbia in the capital region, according to the list. […] FAIR says the county is a sanctuary because it tells police not to ask about immigration status even during an arrest."
- "traditional county"
- "He can't come; he's up in the county for agg assault."
- "Okay gentlemen, you've both been to county before, I'm sure. Here it comes."
- "Now, in the district around Chipping Carby, the County Families are very County indeed, few more so."
Etymology
From Middle English countee, counte, conte, from Anglo-Norman counté, Old French conté (French comté), from Latin comitātus (“jurisdiction of a count”), from comes (“count, earl”). Cognate with Spanish condado (“county”) and Italian contea (“county”). Doublet of comitatus, borrowed directly from Latin. Mostly displaced native Old English sċīr, whence Modern English shire.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkaʊn(t)i/
- British English: /ˈkaʊnti/
Usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- American usage
- Slang