shire
shire Lexical Profile
shire Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A county or administrative district in Great Britain and certain other English-speaking countries, typically rural in character.
"The picturesque villages and rolling hills of the English shires attract thousands of tourists each summer."
A breed of large, heavy, and powerful draft horse, originally bred in the English Midlands, characterized by its immense strength and heavily feathered lower legs.
"The farmer hitched a pair of majestic shires to the wagon to pull the heavy load of timber through the muddy field."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a standalone word, 'shire' rhymes with 'fire'; however, when acting as a suffix in British county names (like Yorkshire or Hampshire), it is typically pronounced 'sheer' or 'shuh'.
• Rhymes for shire
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'scīr', meaning 'office, province, or district', of Germanic origin. It historically denoted an estate or administrative area governed by an ealdorman or sheriff.