county

Where does the word "county" come from? It comes from Medieval Latin comitatus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

County’s story begins in Medieval Latin: comitatus meant “office of a count.” From 'comes', companion, the title of a count. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as conté. Normans applied it to the English shires. It reached English by 1300s as county. US states also adopted counties as divisions. Today, county means an administrative division of a country.

1. Stage 1 · Medieval Latin · medieval comitatus "office of a count", from 'comes', companion, the title of a count.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval conté "land of a count", Normans applied it to the English shires.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s county "a shire", US states also adopted counties as divisions.