County
a county or subdivision of a state for purposes of administration, COUPÉ called in some states a parish or a shire; or, more specifically, the Roman name of what in Saxon times had been called a shire. In Saxon times, one created an earl received a shire to govern. When the Normans took possession of the land these Saxon earls were displaced by noblemen of similar rank who had come across with the Conqueror, and who from being his companions were called comites. These each ruled a shire a (comitatus), and from the Latin designation comitatus the English word county ultimately came. In most of the United States the counties, to a great extent, preserve an autonomy, each being provided with its own sheriff, coroner, judiciary, and inferior legislative body (for purposes of local enactment), generally styled commissioners. Each county is charged with the support of its own paupers, with the maintenance of good roads, etc., and for local election purposes, usually constitutes an independent constituency. COUPÉ (kö-pā'), a four-wheeled carriage carrying two inside, with a seat for the driver outside.