Noncount

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a noun that names something treated as an undivided mass, so it takes no plural form and cannot be used with a number
2. Referring to a word for a substance or concept that is not counted as separate units, such as water or advice
3. Of a grammatical noun, being one that refers to something uncountable and so is not normally used with a or an

Etymology: "Noncount" is a plain formation: the prefix "non-" attached to "count," so it means "not counted" or, in grammar, not countable. The prefix comes from Latin "non," meaning "not," and it has been used in English for centuries to build negative adjectives like "nonstop" and "nonprofit." "Count" comes from Old French "conter," which traces back to Latin "computare," meaning "to reckon together." The verb "count" in English entered through Anglo-Norman, and the "to number" sense was its original one, before it came to mean "to matter" or "to be significant." In grammar, the term is used to describe nouns that refer to things that cannot be numbered individually, such as "water," "courage," or "furniture." English speakers learn to avoid saying "a furniture" or "three waters" precisely because these nouns resist counting. The contrasting term is "count noun," and the pair is a standard way of sorting English vocabulary.

Synonyms: uncountable, mass

Antonyms: countable