| Noun | 1. | county - a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government; "the county has a population of 12,345 people" |
| 2. | county - the largest administrative district within a state; "the county plans to build a new road" |
COUNTY. A district into which a state is divided.
2. The United States are generally divided into counties; counties are
divided into townships or towns.
3. In Pennsylvania the division of the province into three Counties,
viz. Philadelphia, Bucks and Chester, was one of the earliest acts of
William Penn, the original proprietary. There is no printed record of this
division, or of the original boundaries of these counties. Proud says it was
made about the year 1682. Proud's Hist. vol. 1 p. 234 vol. 2, p. 258.
4. In some states, as Illinois; 1 Breese, R. 115; a county is
considered as a corporation, in others it is only a quasi corporation. 16
Mass. R. 87; 2 Mass. R. 644 7 Mass. R. 461; 1 Greenl. R. 125; 3 Greenl. R.
131; 9 Greenl. R. 88; 8 John. R. 385; 3 Munf. R. 102. Frequent difficulties
arise on the division of a county. On this subject, see 16 Mass. R. 86 6 J.
J. Marsh. 147; 4 Halst. R. 357; 5 Watts, R. 87 1 Cowen, R. 550; 6 Cowen, R.
642; Cowen, R. 640; 4 Yeates, R. 399 10 Mass. Rep. 290; 11 Mass. Rep. 339.
5. In the English law this word signifies the same as shire, county
being derived from the French and shire from the Saxon. Both these words
signify a circuit or portion of the realm, into which the whole land is
divided, for the better government thereof, and the more easy administration
of justice. There is no part of England that is not within some county, and
the shire-reve, (sheriff) originally a yearly officer, was the governor of
the county. Four of the counties of England, viz. Lancaster, Chester, Durham
and Ely, were called counties Palatine, which were jurisdictions of a
peculiar nature, and held by, especial charter from the king. See stat. 27
H. VIII. c. 25.