Etymograph

English

county

County comes from Latin comitātus ‘jurisdiction of a count’, and goes back to comes.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcomes1‘count’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcomitātus1‘jurisdiction of a count’
  3. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400counté1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500countee1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1886county1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English county
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1886, Andrew Lang: “Now, in the district around Chipping Carby, the County…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcomesWiktionary, English county‘count’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcomitātusWiktionary, English county‘jurisdiction of a count’
  3. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400countéWiktionary, English county
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500counteeWiktionary, English county
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1886countyWiktionary, English county. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1886, Andrew Lang: “Now, in the district around Chipping Carby, the County…”

The story

Mostly displaced native Old English sċīr, whence Modern English shire.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin comes ‘count, earl’

comes, conte, concomitant, 8 more

through Latin comitātus ‘jurisdiction of a count’

comitatus, 2 more

Today it means

noun The land ruled by a count or a countess.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “county”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin comes / county

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