counter

English Online Dictionary. What means counter‎? What does counter mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkaʊn.tɚ/, [ˈkaʊ.ɾ̃ɚ], [ˈkʰaʊ̯.ɾ̃ɚ], [ˈkʰaʊ̯.nɚ]
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkaʊn.tə/
• Rhymes: -aʊntə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: count‧er

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English countour, from Old French conteor (French comptoir), from Medieval Latin computātōrium, from Latin computō, equivalent to count +‎ -er. Doublet of cantore, computer, and kontor.

Noun

counter (plural counters)

1. One who counts.

2. A reckoner; someone who collects data by counting; an enumerator.
3. An object (now especially a small disc) used in counting or keeping count, or as a marker in games, etc.

4. A telltale; a contrivance attached to an engine, printing press, or other machine, for the purpose of counting the revolutions or the pulsations.
5. (programming) A variable, memory location, etc. whose contents are incremented to keep a count.
6. (Internet) A hit counter.
7. A table or board on which money is counted and over which business is transacted

8. A shop tabletop on which goods are examined, weighed or measured.
9. In a kitchen, a surface, often built into the wall and above a cabinet, designed to be used for food preparation.

   Synonym: (Australia and New Zealand) bench

10. In a bathroom, a surface, often built into the wall and above a cabinet, which holds the washbasin.

    Synonym: (Australia and New Zealand) bench

11. (curling) Any stone lying closer to the center than any of the opponent's stones.
12. (historical) The prison attached to a city court; a compter.
13. (grammar) A class of word used along with numbers to count objects and events, typically mass nouns. Although rare and optional in English (e.g. "20 head of cattle"), they are numerous and required in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

Synonyms

• (grammar) measure word

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Japanese: カウンター
• → Korean: 카운터 (kaunteo)
• → Malay: kaunter
• → Thai: เคาน์เตอร์ (káo-dtə̂ə)

Translations

Etymology 2

From Old French contre, Anglo-Norman cuntre, both from Latin contra.

Adverb

counter (not comparable)

1. Contrary, in opposition; in an opposite direction.
2. In the wrong way; contrary to the right course.

   a hound that runs counter

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:contrarily

Translations

Noun

counter (plural counters)

1. Something opposite or contrary to something else.
2. (martial arts) A proactive defensive hold or move in reaction to a hold or move by one's opponent.

3. (nautical) The overhanging stern of a vessel above the waterline, below and somewhat forward of the stern proper.
4. The piece of a shoe or a boot around the heel of the foot (above the heel of the shoe/boot).
5. (music) Alternative form of contra Formerly used to designate any under part which served for contrast to a principal part, but now used as equivalent to countertenor.
6. The breast of a horse; that part of a horse between the shoulders and under the neck.
7. (typography) The enclosed or partly closed negative space of a glyph.
8. (obsolete) An encounter.
9. counterattack

Translations

Verb

counter (third-person singular simple present counters, present participle countering, simple past and past participle countered)

1. To contradict, oppose.

   Coordinate terms: counteract, counterargue, counterbalance, countervail
2. (boxing) To return a blow while receiving one, as in boxing.
3. To take action in response to; to respond.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To encounter.

Translations

Adjective

counter (not comparable)

1. Contrary or opposing

   Synonyms: opposite, contrasted, opposed, adverse, antagonistic

Derived terms

Anagrams

• Cureton, Cutrone, cornute, countre, recount, trounce

Chinese

Etymology 1

From English counter (“tabletop”).

Pronunciation

Noun

counter

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) counter; front desk; reception desk (Classifier: 個／个 c; 張／张 c)

References

• English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

Etymology 2

From English counter (“to take action in response to; to respond”).

Pronunciation

Verb

counter

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to counter; to take action in response to; to respond (especially when the response taken is opposite to the original situation)

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English counter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑu̯n.tər/
• Hyphenation: coun‧ter

Noun

counter m (plural counters)

1. (chiefly sports, especially soccer) counter-attack, counter

   Synonym: tegenaanval

Related terms

• counteren

Old French

Verb

counter (Late Anglo-Norman)

1. alternative form of conter

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-ts, *-tt are modified to z, t. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.