/
ˈʃʌɪə/
n.
- Brit. a county, especially in England.
▸
(the Shires)
the parts of England regarded as strongholds of traditional rural culture, especially the rural Midlands.
- a medieval administrative district ruled jointly by an alderman and a sheriff.
- Austral. a rural area with its own elected council.
Etymology
OE scīr ‘care, official charge, county’, of Gmc origin.
