: one of the territorial divisions of England and Wales and formerly also of Scotland and Northern Ireland constituting the chief units for administrative, judicial, and political purposes
b(1)
: the people of a county
(2)
British: the gentry of a county
3
: the largest territorial division for local government within a state of the U.S.
4
: the largest local administrative unit in various countries
Middle English counte, from Anglo-French cunté, counté, from Medieval Latin comitatus, from Late Latin, office of a count, from comit-, comes count — more at count