noun · rare

shire

shire · shires

шир

шир, графство

Grafschaft

An administrative area or district between about the 5th to the 11th century,…An administrative area or district between about the 5th to the 11th century, subdivided into hundreds or wapentakes and jointly governed by an ealdorman and a sheriff; also, a present-day area corresponding to such a historical district; a county; especially (England), a county having a name ending in -shire.

UK/ʃaɪə/US/ʃaɪ(ə)ɹ/

Meaning

7 senses

(UK, historical)An administrative area or district between about the 5th to the 11th century, subdivided into hundreds or wapentakes and jointly governed by an ealdorman and a sheriff; also, a present-day area corresponding to such a historical district; a county; especially (England), a county having a name ending in -shire.
Yorkshire is the largest shire in England.
Grafschaft
ширšir, гра́фствоgráfstvo
ширšyr
(UK, broadly)The people living in a shire (noun sense 1.1) considered collectively.
(UK, broadly, informal)The general area in which a person comes from or lives.
When are you coming back to the shire?
(broadly)An administrative area or district in other countries.
a former administrative district of England; equivalent to a county
An administrative area or district in other countries.
(Australia, attributive, broadly, often)An outer suburban or rural local government area which elects its own council.
(obsolete)A district or province governed by a person; specifically (Christianity), the province of an archbishop, the see of a bishop, etc.
(broadly, obsolete)A region; also, a country.

Translations

8 languages

Українська

By meaning 1

administrative area or district subdivided into hundreds or wapentakes and jointly governed by an ealdorman and a sheriff; present-day area corresponding to such a historical district; administrative area or district in other countries — see also county:

Русский

By meaning 1

administrative area or district subdivided into hundreds or wapentakes and jointly governed by an ealdorman and a sheriff; present-day area corresponding to such a historical district; administrative area or district in other countries — see also county:

Deutsch

By meaning 1

administrative area or district subdivided into hundreds or wapentakes and jointly governed by an ealdorman and a sheriff; present-day area corresponding to such a historical district; administrative area or district in other countries — see also county:

Origin

The noun is derived from Middle English schire (“region, shire, county”) [and other forms]

The noun is derived from Middle English schire (“region, shire, county”) [and other forms], from Old English sċīr (“administrative region under an alderman and sheriff, shire; district under a governor or official; status of an official, office”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *skīru (“district; status of an official, office”); further etymology uncertain, possibly related to Latin cūra (“care, concern; administration, charge, management; command, office”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeys- (“to heed; to see”).

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