comté

county; earldom

noun kom-TEH Less Common

Origin: Latin 'comitatus' (territory of a count)

Usage Note

Comté refers to a historical territory ruled by a comte (count/earl), and survives in French regional names such as the Franche-Comté. In English-speaking contexts it is used to translate 'county'. It is also the name of a celebrated hard cheese from the Jura region — le comté — which takes its name from the same region.

Examples

"Le comté de Kent est dans le sud de l'Angleterre."

Natural Translation

The county of Kent is in the south of England.

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