count palatine

Inflections of 'count palatine' (n): npl: counts palatine

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

count′ pal′atine, pl. counts palatine. 

1. World History (formerly, in Germany) a count having jurisdiction in his fief or province.
2. World History Also called earl palatine. [Eng. Hist.] an earl or other county proprietor who exercised royal prerogatives within his county.

• 1590–1600

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

count palatine noun (counts palatine)

1. (in the Holy Roman Empire) originally an official who administered the king's domains or his justice
2. later, a count who exercised royal authority in his own domains
3. (in England and Ireland) an earl or other lord of a county palatine