Dictionary
count' pal'atine
—pl. counts palatine.
1. (formerly, in Germany) a count having jurisdiction in his fief or province.
2. Also called
earl palatine. Eng. Hist.an earl or other county proprietor who exercised royal prerogatives within his county.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.