in law, are persons who obtain any money or goods by counterfeit letters or false tokens, who being convicted before justices of assize or of the peace, &c., are to suffer such punishment as shall be thought fit to be inflicted under death, as imprisonments, pillories, &c.

Counter-foil, or Counter-stock, in the exchequer, that part of an ally which is kept by an officer of the court.

Counter-Guard, in fortification, is a work raised before the point of a bastion, consisting of two long faces parallel to the faces of the bastion, making a salient angle: they are sometimes of other shapes, or otherwise situated.

Counter-Light, or Counter-jour, a light opposite to any thing, which makes it appear to disadvantage. A single counter-light is sufficient to take away all the beauty of a fine painting.

Counter-March, in military affairs, a change of the face or wings of a battalion, by which means those that were in the front come to be in the rear. It also signifies returning, or marching back again.

Counter-Mine, in war, a well and gallery drove and sunk till it meet the enemy's mine to prevent its effect.

Counter-Paled, in heraldry, is when the escutcheon is divided into twelve pales parted per pale, the two colours being counter-changed; so that the upper arc of one colour, and the lower of another.

Counter-Part, in music, denotes one part to be applied to another. Thus the bass is said to be a counter-part to the treble.

Counter-Paissant, in heraldry, is when two lions are in a coat of arms, and the one seems to go quite the contrary way from the other.