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View synonyms for shire

shire

1

[ shahyuhr ]

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

[ shahyuhr ]

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

/ 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

2

/ ʃaɪə /

noun

    1. one of the British counties
    2. ( in combination )

      Yorkshire

  1. (in Australia) a rural district having its own local council
  2. the Midland counties of England, esp Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, famous for hunting, etc

shire

3

/ ʃaɪə /

verb

  1. dialect.
    tr to refresh or rest

    let me get my head shired

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Other Words From

  • subshire noun
  • under·shire noun

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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

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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

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Example Sentences

Tanganyika would thus go to Nyassa—down the Shiré into the Zambesi and the sea, if a passage existed even below ground.

The rapids of Lake Nyassa where the Shiré issues from it, are more than fifteen hundred feet higher than the ocean.

We landed to wood at Shamoara, just below the confluence of the Shiré.

In the first ascent of the Shiré our attention was chiefly directed to the river itself.

We could not learn from any record that the Shiré had ever been ascended by Europeans.

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gallimaufry

[gal-uh-maw-free ]

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