count1
kaʊnt/
verb
verb: count; 3rd person present: counts; past tense: counted; past participle: counted; gerund or present participle: counting
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1.determine the total number of (a collection of items).“I started to count the stars I could see”
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recite numbers in ascending order.“hold the position as you count to five”
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recite or display numbers backwards to zero to indicate the time remaining before the launch of a rocket or the start of an operation.“the floor manager pointed at the camera and counted down”
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prepare for a significant event in the short time remaining before it.“with more orders expected, the company is counting down to a bumper Christmas”
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2.take into account; include.“the staff has shrunk to four, or five if you count the European director”
synonyms: include, take into account, take account of, take into consideration, allow for, incorporate “there were seventy people backstage, not counting the actors”-
regard or be regarded as possessing a specified quality or fulfilling a specified role.“she met some rebuffs from people she had counted as her friends”
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3.be significant.“it did not matter what the audience thought—it was the critics that counted”
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(of a factor) play a part in influencing opinion for or against someone or something.“he hopes his sporting attitude will count in his favour“
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be worth (a specified amount).“he has no power base and his views count for little”
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be included in an assessment of (a final result or amount).“reduced rate contributions do not count towards your pension”
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4.rely on.“whatever you’re doing, you can count on me”
synonyms: rely on, depend on, place reliance on, lean on, bank on, trust, be sure of, trust in, place one’s trust in, have (every) confidence in, believe in, put one’s faith in, pin one’s faith on, swear by, take for granted, take on trust, take as read “he could usually be counted on to give lifts”
noun
noun: count; plural noun: counts
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1.an act of determining the total number of something.“at the last count, fifteen applications were still outstanding”
synonyms: calculation, enumeration, computation, reckoning, counting, telling, tally, tallying, totting up; More -
2.an act of reciting numbers in ascending order, up to the specified number.“hold the position for a count of seven”
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an act of reciting numbers up to ten by the referee when a boxer is knocked down, the boxer being considered knocked out if still down when ten is reached.“he dropped by the ropes to take a count of six on one knee”
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3.a point for discussion or consideration.“the programme remained vulnerable on a number of counts”
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LAWa separate charge in an indictment.“he pleaded guilty to five counts of murder”
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4.the measure of the fineness of a yarn expressed as the weight of a given length or the length of a given weight.
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a measure of the fineness of a woven fabric expressed as the number of warp or weft threads in a given length.
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Origin
Middle English (as a noun): from Old French counte (noun), counter (verb), from the verb computare ‘calculate’ (see compute).
How my heart speaks 
What about the rank in the aristocracy – e.g. the Count of Monte Cristo?
Thank you,Mike.It seems to be used a great deal… is it because counting is important?