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county

county

949 1.0
A large area inside a country that has its own local government
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊnti/
translation icon : condado
  • Every county in the United States has its own government and services for residents.
  • county seat
  • county population
  • county-level

I'm talking about an entire county that has lower prices.

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Examples

  • Mr. Earnshaw's got papers like these all over the county.

  • This is the courthouse in Jenkins County, Georgia.

  • And you know what we say in Will County, you will love it here.

  • Thank you to the county and my lawyer.

  • The county has plans for this place and we need to check it out.

  • So all across the United States, every county has a legal newspaper.

  • The group meets once a month at a central location in the county, such as a high school.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Another emergency call from a neighboring county.

  • The idea got support from the local bar and the county's chief judge.

    Academic text (2011)
  • There is a tiny county here in Nashville.

Synonyms

shire
vscounty
  • Archaic
2 9.9

An old area of England like a county

is a modern local government area with its own elected authority
comitatus
vscounty
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A county ruled by a count in the past

is a modern local government area governed by local institutions not by nobles
county palatine
vscounty
  • Archaic
9.9

A county in England or Ireland where a lord had the powers of a king

is the normal local government area without feudal privileges

Compounds

6 3.0

A line that shows where two counties meet

6 4.3

A town or city where the county government has its main offices

2 3.5

A group of elected people who manage local services in a county

county agent
  • Formal
1 5.8

A government worker who gives farmers and rural families advice about farming and household matters

A former province in northern France between Picardy and Flanders

county palatine
  • Archaic
9.9

A county in England or Ireland where a lord had the powers of a king

3.4

A town where the county government has its main offices

A county in northeastern Virginia in the United States known for Civil War battles

How Big

state
1.0
province
209 3.0
county
949 1.0
district
1.5
parish
138 4.1

Surface Forms

county singular
counties plural

Morphology

county = count (opaque) = count + y

Although 'county' is historically 'count' + a nominal suffix, the modern administrative meaning ('area with local government') is not predictably derived from knowing 'count' for most learners.

Etymology

County comes from an old word for a noble, the count, and first meant the land a count 'ruled'. That's why a county today is a local area with its own government.