count

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To say numbers in order.

   The little boy can already count to one hundred.

2. 2
   verb

   To find out how many of something there are.

   Can you count the books on the shelf?

3. 3
   verb

   To rely on or trust someone.

   You can count on me to help you any time.

4. 4
   verb

   To be important or matter.

   In this job, your experience really counts.

5. 5
   noun

   The total number you get when you count something.

   The final count showed nearly five hundred votes.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Count has two unrelated origins. The verb comes from Latin computare, “to calculate.” The title for a nobleman was introduced by the Normans and derives from Latin comes, “companion, overseer, attendant”; county comes from this second source.

From Middle English counten, borrowed from Anglo-Norman conter, from Old French conter (“add up; tell a story”), from Latin computō (“to compute”). In this sense, displaced native Old English tellan, whence Modern English tell. Doublet of compute. Compare typologically reckon, Russian счита́ть (sčitátʹ), счита́ться (sčitátʹsja); the semantic evolution to Mongolian санах (sanax).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary