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Nation vs County - What's the difference?

nation | county |

As nouns the difference between nation and county

is that nation is an historically constituted, stable community of people, formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture while county is the land ruled by a count or a countess.

As an adverb nation

is extremely; very.

As an adjective county is

characteristic of a ‘county family’; representative of the gentry or aristocracy of a county.

nation

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) ).

Noun

(en noun)
  • An historically constituted, stable community of people, formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.
  • A sovereign state.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=David Simpson
    • , volume=188, issue=26, page=36, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Fantasy of navigation , passage=It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: 
  • (chiefly, historical) An association of students based on their birthplace or ethnicity. (jump)
  • (obsolete) A great number; a great deal.
    • a nation of herbs
    (Sterne)
    Usage notes
    * (British) Following the establishment of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, England, Scotland and Wales are normally considered distinct nations. Application of the term nation to the United Kingdom as a whole is deprecated in most style guides, including the BBC, most newspapers and in UK Government publications. Northern Ireland, being of less clear legal status, generally remains a province.
    Synonyms
    * thede * (an association of students) student nation
    Derived terms
    * First Nations * Ford Nation * national * nationality * nation building * nation-state * student nation * United Nations
    Related terms
    * antenatal * innate * nascent * natal * native * nativity * nativism * nativization * nature * natural * naturism * naturalism * prenatal
    See also
    * country * culture * homeland * ethnicity * people * race * society * state * thede

    Etymology 2

    Probably short for (m).

    Noun

  • (rare) Damnation.

    • Adverb

  • (rare, dialectal) Extremely; very
  • * Mark Twain:
    • I'm nation sorry for you.

    References

    * "Notable and Quotable," Merriam Webster Online Newsletter (November, 2005) [http://www.word.com/unabridged/archives/2005/11/notable_and_quo_4.html] (as accessed on December 23, 2005).

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * (l), (l) 1000 English basic words ----

    county

    English

    Noun

    (counties)
  • (historical) The land ruled by a count or a countess.
  • An administrative region of various countries, including Bhutan, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Serbia and Montenegro and Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
  • A definitive geographic region, without direct administrative functions.
    • traditional county

    Usage notes

    * In American usage, counties are almost always designated as such, with the word "County" capitalized and following the name — e.g., "Lewis County", rarely "Lewis", and never "County Lewis." * In British usage, counties are referenced without designation — e.g. "Kent" and never "Kent County". The exception is Durham, which is often "County Durham" (but never "Durham County"). An organisation such as Kent County Council is the "County Council" of "Kent" and not the "Council" of "Kent County". * In Irish usage, counties are frequently referenced, but like Durham precede the name — e.g., "County Cork" or "Cork" and never "Cork County."

    Derived terms

    * countyhood * countywide * another county heard from * traditional county

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Characteristic of a ‘county family’; representative of the gentry or aristocracy of a county.
  • *1979 , , Smiley's People , Folio Society 2010, p. 274:
  • *:She was a tall girl and county , with Hilary's walk: she seemed to topple even when she sat.