coun ‧ ty W2 /ˈkaʊnti/ BrE AmE noun ( plural counties ) [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: conté 'area ruled by a count' , from Medieval Latin comitatus , from Latin comes ; ⇨ ↑ count 2 ]
an area of a state or country that has its own government to deal with local matters:
Fairfax County, Virginia