Count noun

In linguistics, a count noun also countable noun is the noun that can be modified by a numeral and that occurs in both singular & plural forms, and that can co-occur with quantificational determiners like every, each, several, etc. A mass noun has none of these properties, because it cannot be modified by a numeral, cannot arise in plural, and cannot co-occur with quantificational determiners.

Theory

Following the produce of logicians like Godehard Link and linguists like Manfred Krifka, we know that the mass/count distinction can be condition a precise mathematical definition in terms of notions like cumulativity and quantization. Discussed by Barry Schein in 1993, a new logical framework, called plural logic, has also been used for characterizing the semantics of count nouns and mass nouns.