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count 1 (kount)
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v. count·ed, count·ing, counts
v.tr.
1.
a. To name or list (the units of a group or collection) one by one in order to determine a total; number.
b. To recite numerals in ascending order up to and including: count three before firing.
c. To include in a reckoning; take account of: ten dogs, counting the puppies.
2. Informal
a. To include by or as if by counting: Count me in.
b. To exclude by or as if by counting: Count me out.
3. To believe or consider to be; deem: Count yourself lucky.
v.intr.
1. To recite or list numbers in order or enumerate items by units or groups: counted by tens.
2.
a. To have importance: You really count with me.
b. To have a specified importance or value: Their opinions count for little. Each basket counts for two points.
3. Music To keep time by counting beats.
n.
1. The act of counting or calculating.
2.
a. A number reached by counting.
b. The totality of specific items in a particular sample: a white blood cell count.
3. Law Any of the separate and distinct charges or causes of action in an indictment or complaint.
4. Sports The counting from one to ten seconds, during which time a boxer who has been knocked down must rise or be declared the loser.
5. Baseball The number of balls and strikes that an umpire has called against a batter.
Phrasal Verbs:
count down
To recite numerals in descending order, as during a countdown.
count off
To recite numbers in turn, as when dividing people or things into groups : The 24 children counted off by twos, forming a dozen pairs.
count on
1. To rely on; depend on: You can count on my help.
2. To be confident of; anticipate: counted on getting a raise.
count out
To declare (a boxer) to have been knocked out by calling out the count.
Idiom:
count heads/noses
To make a count of members, attendees, or participants.

[Middle English counten, from Old French conter, from Latin computāre, to calculate : com-, com- + putāre, to think; see pau-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
count 2 (kount)
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n.
1. A nobleman in some European countries.
2. Used as a title for such a nobleman.

[Middle English counte, from Old French conte, from Late Latin comes, comit-, occupant of any state office, from Latin, companion; see ei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.