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• eyre
  eyre

  noun

  a circuit made by an itinerant judge justice in eyre in medieval England.
• Eyre
  Eyre

  noun

  Lake, a shallow salt lake in S South Australia. 3,430 sq. mi. (8,885 sq. km).

eyre

¹ American  

[air] / ɛər /

noun

Old English Law.

1. a circuit made by an itinerant judge justice in eyre in medieval England.

2. a county court held by a justice in eyre.

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Eyre ² American  

[air] / ɛər /

noun

1. Lake, a shallow salt lake in S South Australia. 3,430 sq. mi. (8,885 sq. km).

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Eyre ¹ British  

/ ɛə /

noun

1. Edward John. 1815–1901, British explorer and colonial administrator. He was governor of Jamaica (1864–66) until his authorization of 400 executions to suppress an uprising led to his recall

2. Sir Richard. born 1943, British theatre director: director of the Royal National Theatre (1988–97)

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eyre ² British  

/ ɛə /

noun

1. any of the circuit courts held in each shire from 1176 until the late 13th century

2. the justices travelling on circuit and presiding over such courts

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Eyre ³ British  

/ ɛə /

noun

1. a shallow salt lake or salt flat in NE central South Australia, about 11 m (35 ft) below sea level, divided into two areas (North and South); it usually contains little or no water. Maximum area: 9600 sq km (3700 sq miles)

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Etymology

Origin of eyre

1250–1300; Middle English eyre < Anglo-French; Old French erre, derivative of errer to journey; see err

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eyre Eyre

They were red eyre, homicidal, terrific, seeming actually to give out light They were like rubies filled with flame.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

It means lit. wandering, vagabond, so that the arrant thief is nearly related to the knight errant, and to the Justices in eyre, Old Fr. eire, Lat. iter, a way, journey.

From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Ernest Weekley

Eyre, ār, n. a journey or circuit: a court of itinerant justices.—Justices in eyre, itinerant judges who went on circuit.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

The county court, indeed, put that plaint in respite until the justices in eyre should arrive, wherefore St. Edmund was ousted of his jurisdiction.

From The Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond: A Picture of Monastic Life in the Days of Abbot Samson by Jocelin de Brakelond

The three royal courts and justices in eyre all drew from the same small group of royal justices.

From Our Legal Heritage by S. A. Reilly

"The last owner of the castle, Denys Eyre Bower, did collect swords but the lake itself was built in the 1800s," Collick said.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

“Iran is perfectly happy to substitute process for progress,” said Alan Eyre, a former senior State Department negotiator with Iran who is now at the Middle East Institute.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

“We’re not seeing it, and we’re unlikely to see it,” said Alan Eyre, a Farsi-speaking former diplomat who served on the U.S. nuclear negotiating team with Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

Dr Anne Eyre, director of the Centre for Collective Trauma, believes that for some living in Soham, having Huntley back in the headlines will be deeply upsetting.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026

I put the first edition of Jane Eyre back on the shelf, and slid all three books in carefully because I guess it was all-fired important.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt