Nearby Words
noun
1.
one of the counties of Great Britain.
2.
the Shires, the counties in the Midlands in which hunting is especially popular.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English scīr office of administration, jurisdiction of such an office, county
before 900; Middle English; Old English scīr office of administration, jurisdiction of such an office, county
Related forms
sub·shire, noun
un·der·shire, noun
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Shire
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Shire
Collins
World English Dictionary
| shire1 (ʃaɪə) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. one of the British counties |
| b. (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 |
| [Old English scīr office; related to Old High German scīra business] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
shire
O.E. scir "administrative office or district," from P.Gmc. *skizo (cf. O.H.G. scira "care, official charge"). Ousted since 14c. by Anglo-Fr. county (q.v.). The gentrified sense is from The Shires (1796), used by people in other parts of England of those counties that end
EXPAND in -shire; sense transferred to the hunting country of the Midlands (1860).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
Shire
draft horse breed native to the middle section of England. The breed descended from the English "great horse," which carried men in full battle armour that often weighed as much as 400 pounds. Shires were improved as draft and farm animals in the latter part of the 18th century by breeding mares from Holland to English stallions. In 1853 the first Shire was imported to the United States, but the breed never became popular there and was primarily bred to upgrade smaller farm horses
Learn more about Shire with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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