Shire
|shire|
🇺🇸
/ˈʃaɪɚ/
🇬🇧
/ˈʃaɪə/
(shire)
administrative district
Etymology
'shire' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'scir', where 'scir' meant 'official charge' or 'district'.
'shire' changed from Old English 'scir' into Middle English 'shire' and eventually became the modern English word 'shire'.
Initially it meant 'official charge' or 'office of responsibility', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'district' or 'county'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a county or administrative district in England and some other countries; an area governed as a division (often used in place names).
He comes from a small shire in northern England.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a suffix used in English place names to denote a county or district (e.g., -shire in 'Yorkshire').
Many English counties end in -shire, such as Hampshire.
Synonyms
Noun 3
the Shire: the fictional region inhabited by Hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.
The Hobbits live in the Shire.
Last updated: 2025/11/10 11:18