County
Middle English: from Old French conte, from Latin comitatus, from comes, comit- (see count2). The word seems first to have denoted a periodical meeting held to transact shire business.
wiktionary
From Middle English countee, counte, conte, from Anglo-Norman counté, Old French conté (French comté), from Latin comitātus(“jurisdiction of a count”), from comes(“count, earl”). Cognate with Spanish condado(“county”). Doublet of comitatus, borrowed directly from Latin.
etymonline
county (n.)
mid-14c., "a shire, a definite division of a country or state for political and administrative purposes," from Anglo-French counte, from Late Latin comitatus "jurisdiction of a count," from Latin comes (see count (n.1)). It replaced Old English scir "shire."
From late 14c. as "the domain of a count or earl." County palatine, one distinguished by special privileges (Lancaster, Chester, Durham) is from mid-15c. County seat "seat of the government of a county" is by 1848, American English.
