Vicomte

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A title of French nobility that ranks lower than a count usually held as a hereditary distinction in aristocratic circles
2. An aristocratic designation in France, representing a rank below that of a count that is generally inherited through family lineage
3. A hereditary noble title used in France that comes beneath the rank of count in the hierarchy

Etymology: The title came into French from Latin "vicecomes", meaning "deputy of a count": "vice" meaning "in place of" and "comes" meaning "companion" or "count". A vicomte was originally the official who stood in for a count, administering justice and collecting revenues within a district. Over the centuries these deputies gradually became hereditary landholders in their own right, and the title hardened into a noble rank sitting just below count. English received the same Latin word twice, once through French and once more directly, which is why "viscount" and "vicomte" are doublets. The English form "viscount" is the older and more familiar of the two in English usage, while "vicomte" keeps the French spelling and pronunciation for the French nobility. The two words share a single ancestor but took different routes into the language.