Viscounties

A viscount (/ˈvaɪkaʊnt/ ( listen) VY-kownt, for male) or viscountess (/ˈvaɪkaʊntɪs/, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status, but historically deemed to convey a lower-middling rank. In many countries a "viscount", and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial position, and did not develop into a hereditary title until much later. In the case of French viscounts, it is customary to leave the title untranslated as vicomte [vi.kɔ̃t].

The word viscount comes from Old French visconte (modern French: vicomte), itself from Medieval Latin vicecomitem, accusative of vicecomes, from Late Latin vice- "deputy" + Latin comes (originally "companion"; later Roman imperial courtier or trusted appointee, ultimately count).

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