comes

Comes (plural comites), translated as count, was a Roman title, generally linked to a comitatus or comital office. The word comes originally meant "companion" or "follower", deriving from "com-" ("with") and "ire" ("go"). The special lasting meaning derives from the position of a follower within a comitatus, which was a retinue, or group of followers, such as those of magnates. In some instances these were sufficiently large and/or formal to justify specific denomination, such as a "cohors amicorum". The word comes is the origin of the much later terms for counts within the medieval nobility, and counties as their territorial jurisdictions.