shire

¹

[shahy^uhr]

noun

1. one of the counties of Great Britain.

2. the Shires, the counties in the Midlands in which hunting is especially popular.

Shire

²

[shahy^uhr]

noun

1. one of an English breed of large, strong draft horses having a usually brown or bay coat with white markings.

Shiré

³

[shee-rey]

noun

1. a river in SE Africa, flowing S from Lake Malawi to the Zambezi River. 370 miles (596 km) long.

shire

¹

/ ʃaɪə /

noun

1. 1. one of the British counties

   2. ( in combination )

      Yorkshire

2. (in Australia) a rural district having its own local council

3. See shire horse

4. the Midland counties of England, esp Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, famous for hunting, etc

Shire

²

/ ˈʃɪəreɪ /

noun

1. a river in E central Africa, flowing from Lake Malawi through Malawi and Mozambique to the Zambezi. Length: 596 km (370 miles)

shire

³

/ ʃaɪə /

verb

1. dialect,  (tr) to refresh or rest

   let me get my head shired

Other Word Forms

• subshire noun
• undershire noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shire¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English scīr office of administration, jurisdiction of such an office, county

Origin of shire²

1875–80; apparently so called because it was bred in the shires, i.e., those counties of west and central England whose names end in -shire

Word History and Origins

Origin of shire¹

Old English scīr office; related to Old High German scīra business

Origin of shire²

from Old English scīr clear

Related Words

• country 
• district 
• field 
• land 
• locality 
• neighborhood 
• part 
• place 
• province 
• sector 
• suburb 
• territory 
• world 
• zone