county

Definitions

1. noun

   The land ruled by a count or countess in the past.

   Examples

   • Flanders was once a rich county in Europe.
   • The old county passed to his eldest daughter.
   ≈countship≈countdom
2. noun

   A part of a country with its own local government.

   Examples

   • She grew up in a small county in Ohio.
   • The county held its yearly fair last weekend.
   ≈hsien
3. noun

   A traditional region of a country that does not have its own government.

   Examples

   • He is proud of his home county.
   • The old county borders are still shown on old maps.
4. noun

   A prison run by a local county, in informal speech.

   Examples

   • He can't come, because he is in county jail.
   • You have both been in county before, I'm sure.
5. adjective

   Describing rich, upper-class people from the countryside, in British use.

   Examples

   • She came from a very county family.
   • They spoke in a county accent and loved horses.