German Conversation · Level 175
29 words
German word
Grafschaft
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈgʁaːfʃaft/
Meaning
- feminine nounearldom
Example
Die Grafschaft hatte im Mittelalter eigene Gesetze.
The earldom had laws of its own in the Middle Ages.
More examples
Viele Gemeinden in der Grafschaft kooperieren bei regionalen Projekten.
Many municipalities in the earldom cooperate on regional projects.
Core concept
A medieval map shows one count's bounded territory, with its own court and administration.
Common phrases
in der Grafschaft
in the earldom
zur Grafschaft gehören
belong to the earldom
die Grenzen der Grafschaft
the boundaries of the earldom
Similar words
Kreis: A German administrative district grouping municipalities for local government and public services.
Landkreis: A rural German administrative district grouping municipalities under county-level government.
Definition in German
Grafschaft ist ein historisches Gebiet, das einem Grafen unterstand und oft eigene Rechtsprechung und Verwaltung hatte.
Word origin
Grafschaft combines Graf, an old title for a count or earl, with -schaft, a suffix forming a state or collective domain.
Usage tips
- Grafschaft is mainly historical or part of place names, while modern German usually uses Kreis or Landkreis for a county.
Other meanings
- countynoun
Related words
- grafschaftlichcomitaladjective
- Grafschaftsgrenzeearldom boundarynoun