Читаем Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

counter|top /kaʊ ntə ^r tɒp/ (countertops ) N‑COUNT A countertop is a flat surface in a kitchen which is easily cleaned and on which you can prepare food. [AM ] in BRIT, use worktop , work surface

counter|vail|ing /kaʊ ntə ^r ve I l I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] A countervailing force, power, or opinion is one which is of equal strength to another one but is its opposite or opposes it. [FORMAL ] □  Their strategy is greatest in effect when there is no countervailing power.

counter|weight /kaʊ ntə ^r we I t/ (counterweights ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A counterweight is an action or proposal that is intended to balance or counter other actions or proposals. □ [+ to ] His no-inflation bill serves as a useful counterweight to proposals less acceptable to the Committee.

coun|tess /kaʊ nt I s/ (countesses ) also Countess N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE A countess is a woman who has the same rank as a count or earl, or who is married to a count or earl. □  …the Countess of Lichfield.

count|ing /kaʊ nt I ŋ/

1 PREP Not counting a particular thing means not including that thing. Counting a particular thing means including that thing. □  …an average operating profit of 15% to 16% of sales, not counting administrative expenses.

2 PHRASE If you say and counting after a number or an amount of something, you mean that the number or amount is continuing to increase. □  There is a 1,700-year-old tea tree still living in southern China which is more than 100 feet tall and counting.

count|less /kaʊ ntləs/ ADJ [ADJ n] Countless means very many. □  There are countless small ski areas dotted about the province.

cou nt noun (count nouns ) N‑COUNT A count noun is a noun such as 'bird', 'chair', or 'year' which has a singular and a plural form and is always used after a determiner in the singular.

coun|tri|fied /kʌ ntr I fa I d/

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use countrified to describe something that seems or looks like something in the country, rather than in a town. □  The house was so handsome, with a lovely countrified garden.

2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Countrified is used to describe pop music that sounds similar to country music. [JOURNALISM ] □  The sound veers between jazz and countrified blues.

coun|try ◆◆◆ /kʌ ntri/ (countries )

1 N‑COUNT A country is one of the political units which the world is divided into, covering a particular area of land. □  Indonesia is the fifth most populous country in the world. □  …that disputed boundary between the two countries. □  Young people do move around the country quite a bit these days.

2 N‑SING The people who live in a particular country can be referred to as the country . □  Seventy per cent of this country is opposed to blood sports.

3 N‑SING The country consists of places such as farms, open fields, and villages which are away from towns and cities. □  …a healthy life in the country. □  She was cycling along a country road near Compiègne.

4 N‑UNCOUNT A particular kind of country is an area of land which has particular characteristics or is connected with a particular well-known person. □  Varese Ligure is a small town in mountainous country east of Genoa.

5 N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] Country music is popular music from the southern United States. □  The brilliant young country singer tours her songs about lost love and cigarettes, from March 7.

6 PHRASE If you travel across country , you travel through country areas, avoiding major roads and towns. □  From here we walked across country to Covington.