schire

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English sċīr (“shire”), from Proto-West Germanic *skīru. The final vowel is generalised from the Old English inflected forms.

Southeastern forms with /eː/ may be from the collateral Old English form sċȳr (with the local development of Old English /yː/ to /eː/).

Alternative forms

• chire, schere, schyere, schyr, schyre, shere, shiere, shire, shyre, ssire

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃiːr(ə)/, (Southeastern) /ˈʃeːr(ə)/

Noun

schire (plural schires or schiren)

1. An administrative division or region:
   1. One of the counties of England or elsewhere in the British Isles; a shire.
      • 1387–1400, [Geoffrey] Chaucer, “Here Bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunt́burẏ”, in The Tales of Caunt́bury (Hengwrt Chaucer; Peniarth Manuscript 392D), Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: National Library of Wales, published [c. 1400–1410], →OCLC, folio 2, recto:

        […] and specıallẏ from euerẏ shires ende / Of Engelond to Caunterburẏ theẏ wende / The holẏ blıſful martır foꝛ to seke / That hem hath holpen whan þᵗ theẏ weere seeke […]

        […] and specially from every county's end / of England to Canterbury they went / to seek the holy blessed martyr / that had helped them when they were sick […]

   2. The people of such a region.
   3. (law) The shire court or one of its sessions.

Related terms

• Barrokschire
• Bedefordschire
• Chestreschire
• Derbyschire
• Everwich schire
• Hampteschire
• Herefordschire
• Hertfordschire
• Lancastreschire
• Lincolneschire
• Oxenfordschire
• shirreve
• Staffordschire
• Wilteschire
• Wyrcestreschire
• Yorkschire

Descendants

• English: shire
  • → Icelandic: skíri
• Scots: shire

References

• “shīre, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Adjective

schire

1. alternative form of schyre (“bright”)