noun

county

KOWN-tee/ˈkaʊnti/

A district within a state or country used for local government.

The markers outline one county within the larger state on the map model.

A state official places boundary markers around one governed region within a larger state map model while local workers gather inside that region for services.

Etymology

Comitatus named a count's jurisdiction: an area defined by a noble official's authority. In English, the word became a general name for a political or administrative division.

In context

Roland Fryer3:12

So as this interactive graph gets more red, that is the spread of hip-hop across every county in America.

In defense of hip-hop

Kevin Ehrman-Solberg4:23

are all from right here, in Minneapolis, and the rest of Hennepin County.

The Geography of Inequality | Kevin Ehrman-Solberg | TEDxMinneapolis

More examples

Several counties shared the cost of the bridge.
She works for the county government.
The farm lies near the county line.

Forms

county · counties

countywide adjective — Extending throughout a county.

Similar words

district: A more general administrative division.
parish: Serves a county-like role in Louisiana, but has other meanings elsewhere.