shire

[ shahyuhr ]

See synonyms for shire on Thesaurus.com

noun

one of the counties of Great Britain.
the Shires, the counties in the Midlands in which hunting is especially popular.

Origin of shire

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

Other words from shire

subshire, noun
un·der·shire, noun

Other definitions for Shire (2 of 3)

Shire

[ shahyuhr ]

noun

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

Origin of Shire

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

Other definitions for Shiré (3 of 3)

Shiré

[ shee-rey ]

noun

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for shire (1 of 3)

shire¹

/ (ʃaɪə) /

noun

- one of the British counties
- (in combination): Yorkshire
(in Australia) a rural district having its own local council

See shire horse
the Midland counties of England, esp Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, famous for hunting, etc

Origin of shire

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

British Dictionary definitions for shire (2 of 3)

shire²

/ (ʃaɪə) /

verb

(tr) Ulster dialect to refresh or rest: let me get my head shired

Origin of shire

from Old English scīr clear

British Dictionary definitions for Shire (3 of 3)

Shire

Shir

/ (ˈʃɪəreɪ) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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