shiren.
/ʃʌɪə/ΚΠ
c725 Corpus Gloss. 692 Dispensatio, scir.
c725 Corpus Gloss. 1625 Procuratio, sciir.
c893 tr. Orosius Hist. vi. xxxi. 286 Þæt him leofre wæs se cristendom to beganne þonne his scira to habbanne.
a1100 Gerefa in Anglia (1886) 9 259 Hede se ðe scire healde þæt he friðige and forðige ælce be ðam ðe hit selest sy.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > territory under a governor or official > [noun]
shirec893
provincea1382
diocesea1513
government1554
exarchate1570
ethnarchy1602
exarchy1656
governorate1884
negeri1958
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > a land or country > part of country or district > [noun]
endc893
shirec893
estrec1275
sidec1325
bounds1340
provincea1382
partc1400
landmark1550
tract1553
canton1601
neighbourhood1652
district1712
section1785
circumscription1831
location1833
block1840
strip1873
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > bishop > [noun] > see of
bishopricc890
shirec893
richeOE
bishopstoolc1065
siege1297
bishop-see1330
diocesec1330
seata1387
see?a1400
eveschiec1475
bishopwick1570
chair1615
parish1709
episcopate1807
c893 tr. Orosius Hist. i. i. 19 Ohthere sæde þæt sio scir hatte Halgoland þe he on bude.
11.. Fragm. Ælfric's Gloss. (1838) 3 Provincia vel pagus, scur.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 248 Hu hebisenchte sodome & gomorr..þe nomecuðe bureȝes. al an muche schire dun into helle grunde.
1338 R. Mannyng Chron. (1725) 299 The bisshop of Canterbire þerof payed was he, For him and alle his schire [Langtoft: pur ly et sa province] þis gift gaf fulle fre.
a1400 Octovian 227 The folk þo com fram eche a schyre Ryȝt ynto Rome.
c1440 Chester Plays (E.E.T.S.) 386 Goe, echon, to dyvers contray, and preach to Shyre and Citty The fayth.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) viii. l. 946 All Mydlam land thai brynt wp in a fyr, Brak parkis doun, distroyit all the schyr.
1574 A. Golding tr. A. Marlorat Catholike Expos. Reuelation 19 Thyatira..is a Citie of Lydia which is a shyre of Asia the lesse.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. xi. sig. K8v As two broad Beacons, sett in open fieldes, Send forth their flames far of to euery shyre.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. v. xxix. 107 A third Seignorie or Shire there is that goeth to Apamia.
1615 G. Wither Shepherds Hunting v. G 2 b Art not thou hee, that but this other yeere Scard'st all the Wolues and Foxes in the sheere?
1824 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. 57 407 The dame..Was in all Britany the fairest woman, Though 'tis a shire renown'd for handsome ladies.
3. † c. A shire-court. (Cf. shire-moot n.) Obsolete.† d. to be quit from shire and hundred: to be exempted from taxation levied by the shire and hundred. Obsolete. † e. Proverb. (See hundred n. and adj. 5c) Obsolete.
a. spec. In Old English times, an administrative district, consisting of a number of smaller districts (‘hundreds’ or ‘wapentakes’), united for purposes of local government, and ruled jointly by an ealdorman and a sheriff, who presided in the shire-moot n. Under Norman rule, the division of England into shires was continued, the Anglo-Norman counté, Anglo-Latin comitatus, being adopted as the equivalent of the English term. At the present day shire is rare in official use, but is current as a literary synonym for county (chiefly restricted to those counties that have names ending in -shire). The counties of Wales, and most of those of Scotland, have -shire as the ending of their name, but the word is now rarely employed in speaking of them. The counties of Ireland were often called shires in the 16–17th centuries, but the use is now obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > [noun] > administrative divisions in Britain > shire or county
shire?a1000
county?a1400
vice-county1859
shire county1972
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > [noun] > administrative divisions in Britain > shire or county > county in Scotland
shire?a1000
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > [noun] > administrative divisions in Britain > shire or county > county in Ireland
shire?a1000
England.
Scotland.1529 Stirling Burgh Rec. (1887) I. 37 Na flescher within burgh, na within the schier, that bringis ony flecht to the said burgh to sell [etc.].1570 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xiii. 99 Ȝe wer ay callit for ȝour tyrannie Strypis of the Schyre.c1650 J. Spalding Memorialls Trubles Scotl. & Eng. (1851) II. 386 The schires of Kincardin, Elgyne, and Forress.Ireland.c1535 Finglas Breviat in W. Harris Hibernica (1757) 46 The Gentles of the Shires of Myeth and Dublyn.1542 Irish Act 34 Hen. VIII (1621) c. 1. 238 Forasmuch as the Shire of Methe is great and large in circuit... The said Sherife of the said Shire for the time being.1600 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. v. 458 The counties and shyers of the province.1612 J. Davies Discouerie Causes Ireland 256 Next, in reducing the vnreformed partes of Vlster into seauen shires; namely, Ardmagh, Monahan, Tirone, Coleraine, Deuegall [sic], Fermannagh, & Cauan.1626 E. C. S. Govt. Ireland under Perrot 41 The Counties thus made in Vlster, were these, Ardmagh, Monahan, Tyrone [etc.]... These circuites thus deuided and setled into Shieres, the Deputy..appointed..Iustices of the Peace.?a1000 Laws Æthelstan, Lond. x. (Liebermann) 181 Ðæt ælc gerefa name þæt wedd on his agenre scire.
c1290 St. Kenelm 23 in S. Eng. Leg. 346 Þe schire of gloucestre.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 62 Viue & þritti ssiren hii made in engelonde.
c1386 G. Chaucer Friar's Tale 103 If that thee happe to comen in oure shire Al shal be thyn right as thou wolt desire.
1414 Rolls of Parl. IV. 57/1 In the shyre of Cambrigge.
1430 Cov. Leet-bk. 129 xls. to the collectours of the shire in money and in Costes.
1473 J. Warkworth Chron. (Camden) 8 Thei gadred alle the comons of the schyre.
1549 J. Cheke Hurt of Sedicion sig. D3v Howe manye suffer iniurie when one hundred of a Shiere is spoyled.
1598 J. Stow Suruay of London 305 Then harde by the Barre is one other lane called Shyre lane, because it deuideth the Citie from the Shire.
1600 T. Dekker Shomakers Holiday sig. Bv Those companies Mustred in London, and the shires about.
1764 Oxf. Sausage 41 The next we heard that in a neighb'ring Shire, That Day to Church he lead a blushing Bride.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. ii. 189 The cry of agricultural distress rose from every shire in the kingdom.
1855 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 30 July in Eng. Notebks. (1997) I. iii. 280 Lancaster..with taller houses than in the middle shires of England.
1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xxxvii. 53 As through the wild green hills of Wyre The train ran, changing sky and shire.
b. Put for: The inhabitants of the shire.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > inhabitant according to environment > inhabitant of a district or parish > [noun] > collectively
shirea1122
parishc1300
sidec1325
commona1382
community1426
township1443
vicinage1647
county1651
countryside1669
sucken1872
a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1010 Ne furðon nan scir nolde oðre gelæstan æt nyxtan.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xi. 94 You have more brains than half the shire.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > [noun] > court of shire or part of shire
hundredc1000
shire?c1225
wapentakea1500
shire-moot1614
wapentake court1658
hundred-court1671
hundred-mote1839
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 228 Hit nis naut igodes curt. ase iþe schire.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 11068 Ac sir willam ssire huld in a monenday.
c1400 Gamelyn 715 Gamelyn came redy to þe next shire.
c1450 Godstow Reg. 169 He made þys relese & quite clayme in þe shyre of wynchestur.
1461 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 98 I wold a new dede and letter of atorn[e] were mad owth..and that the ded ber date nowh and þat it be selid at þe next shire.
c1503 tr. Magna Carta in R. Arnold Chron. f. lxxxiiij/1 No shire from hensforth shalbe holden in our reame but from moneth to moneth.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > tax > taxation > [verb (intransitive)] > be exempt from
to be quit from shire and hundred1293
1293 Rolls of Parl. I. 115/1 Sint liberi et quieti ab omni Scotto, Geldo et de..Tallag', Lestagiis, Stallagiis, Schiris, Hundr' Warda, Wardepeny, Hauerpeny, Hundredespeny.
c1450 Godstow Reg. 670 And [that their] fre tenauntis ought ther to be quyet fro shire and hundred.
f. A rural administrative district in some states of Australia. Frequently attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > [noun] > in Australia
shire-land1852
shire1909
1909 Brierley & Irish Crown Lands Acts New S. Wales (ed. 2) (advt.) Ordinances for Municipalities or Shires.
1947 K. Tennant Lost Haven iii. 58 A man with any push would form a progress association and devil the shire council about the roads.
1977 Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Jan. 46/2 The town also has a shire community centre.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > [noun] > with adjoining territory
shire1433
county?1449
shire-borough1898
1433 Rolls of Parl. IV. 425/2 In every Citee or Burgh in this your seide Roialme..beyng a Shire incorporate.
1463–5 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Apr. 1463 §8. m. 2 Every persone nowe inhabitaunt within any cite..beyng a shire corporat, not beyng freman, nor of the corporacion of the same.
1485 in Cov. Leet Bk. 524 Henry by the grace of God Kyng of Englond and of Fraunce and lord of Irland to oure trusty and wel-beloued the Maire and Justices of our peas within the shire of oure Citie of Couentre..greting.
5. As the terminal element in names of counties (as Berkshire, Derbyshire) and of certain other districts (as Hallamshire, Bedlingtonshire, Islandshire, Norhamshire, Hexhamshire) which have from early times been regarded as separate unities. Pronounced /-ʃə(r)/; in dialects often /-ʃɪə(r)/.
ΚΠ
a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1064 Mid Snotingham scire & Deorbi scire & Lincolna scire.
c1155 in J. T. Fowler Chartularium Abbathiæ de Novo Monasterio (1878) 45 Bellingtonesir.
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. ii. 77 Bette þe Budul of Bokynghames schire.
c1450 Godstow Reg. 637 To here & to ende diuerse transgressions harmis greuis & excessis in wilton sher.
1463–4 Rolls of Parl. V. 503/1 The growyng of the Shires called Alderton Shire, and Richemond Shire, oonly except.
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 261 The whole shire is expressly named Hantscyre.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 2. ⁋1 The first of our Society is a Gentleman of Worcestershire.
1894 R. O. Heslop Northumberland Words (at cited word) Norhamshire, Islandshire, and Bedlingtonshire, are detached portions of the patrimony of Saint Cuthbert.
6. the Shires n.
a. A term applied to other parts of England by the inhabitants of East Anglia, Kent, Sussex, Essex, and Surrey; also gen. applied to those counties the names of which end in -shire. Also = shire county n. at Compounds 2.Usually pronounced /ʃɪəz/, being a re-stressed form of the unstressed ending /-ʃɪə(r)/.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > British Isles > England > [noun] > districts of England
wealdOE
Oxon.c1439
the Stannaries1455
Midland1555
Home Counties1695
Islandshire1705
lakes1774
file1775
potteries1795
the Shires1796
Tyneside1824
lakeland1829
Lake District1835
lake country1842
Wessex1868
Shakespeare country1900
Geordieland1901
cherry country1902
1796 S. Pegge Anonymiana (1809) 160 The Inhabitants of Kent, to express a person's coming from a great distance..will say, he comes a great way off, out of the shires.
a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) Sheres, pl., a general name for all the counties in England, but Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex.
1865 W. White Eastern Eng. II. 204 Which do ye like best, master. Essex or the sheres?
1909 A. Morrison Green Ginger 154 ‘It do seem to me’, he said, ‘as you'd do better in the shires; I count you make a poor trade in Essex’.
1977 Daily Tel. 14 Mar. 2/7 In the shires Labour are defending a rump of seven non-Metropolitan counties they still hold out of 39: Cleveland, Derbyshire, Durham, [etc.].
b. Fox-hunting. As the name of a hunting ‘country’: see quot. 1910.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting area > [noun]
fieldOE
forest1297
seta1425
chasea1440
hunting-fieldc1680
hunting-ground1721
flying county1856
hunt1857
moor1860
the Shires1860
driving moor1873
beat1875
killing ground1877
flying country1883
killing field1915
1860 G. J. Whyte-Melville Market Harborough v. 51 ‘Excuse me, sir: take the liberty of asking whereabouts you generally hunt’. ‘Hunt?’ repeated the customer. ‘Oh! Leicestershire—Northamptonshire—all about there’... A cloud gathered on the foreman's brow. ‘The Shires!’ he rejoined, with a perplexed air; ‘that increases our difficulties very much indeed’.
1887 Field 12 Nov. 731/2 The fleetest pack [of hounds] in all the Shires.
1910 A. E. T. Watson in Encycl. Brit. XIII. 948/2 The ‘Shires’ is a recognized term, but is nevertheless somewhat vague. The three counties included in the expression are Leicestershire, Rutlandshire and Northamptonshire. Several packs which hunt within these limits are not supposed, however, to belong to the ‘Shires’, whereas a district of the Belvoir country is in Lincolnshire, and to hunt with the Belvoir is certainly understood to be hunting in the ‘Shires’.
7. Short for Shire horse n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by breed > [noun] > shire horse
Shire horse1875
shire1877
1877 W. Gilbey in Field 24 Feb. 225/1 A discussion arose as to the best agricultural stallion to select for use in the district—a ‘Clydesdale’ or a ‘Shire’.
1901 Q. Rev. Jan. 7 The Shire, as a distinct breed was not in existence.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
shire-administration n.
ΚΠ
1874 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. I. vi. 160 A uniform shire-administration.
shire-system n.
ΚΠ
1874 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. I. v. 117 The general institution of a shire-system for all England.
b. (In sense 6.)
shire-bred adj.
ΚΠ
1881 Daily News 24 Feb. 3/1 In the hope of stimulating the production of shire-bred horses.
shire-fattened adj.
ΚΠ
1886 P. Robinson Valley Teetotum Trees 18 Our own shire-fattened kine.
c. (In sense 7.)
shire-breed n.
ΚΠ
1877 Field 17 Mar. 323/2 Good English mares of the ‘shire’ breed.
shire-class n.
C2. Special combinations. Also shire-ground n., Shire horse n., shire-land n., shireman n., shire-moot n., shirewick n.† shire-clerk n. Obsolete (see quot. 1706).† shire-court n. Obsolete = county court n.† shire-day n. Obsolete the day upon which a meeting of the shire was appointed to be held.† shire-house n. Obsolete = county hall n. at county n.1 and adj. Compounds 7.† shire-knight n. Obsolete = Knight of the Shire at knight n. 4c.† shire-wyte n. Obsolete ? a tax paid to a Sheriff for holding a shire-court.
shire-bishop n. Old English and Historical the bishop of a shire.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > bishop > [noun]
bishopc897
patriarcheOE
bispa1300
ordinarya1325
ordinar?1403
father1418
discretion1421
pontificalc1440
diocesanc1450
rocheter1559
monseigneur1561
pope1563
bite-sheep1570
presul1577
rochet1581
diocesser1606
lawn sleevesc1640
episcopant1641
Right Reverend1681
diocesian1686
lawn-man1795
diocesiarch1805
bish1875
shire-bishop1880
a1023 Wulfstan xxxvi. (1883) 173 Bete þæt, swa se scir~bisceop and eal scirwitan..deman.
1880 W. H. Jones Dioc. Hist. Salisb. 51 We must therefore suppose that occasionally shire-bishops may have been appointed.
shire-borough n. (see sense 4).
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > [noun] > with adjoining territory
shire1433
county?1449
shire-borough1898
1898 F. W. Maitland Township & Borough 10 One ancient shire-borough, I mean Nottingham.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > one who administers justice > an officer of the court > [noun] > registrar or clerk > clerk of sheriff court
shire-clerk1495
sheriff clerk1564
sheriff's clerk1564
1495 Act 11 Hen. VII c. 15 §1 Shirefs Undershirefs Shire Clerkis or any other officers.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Shire-Clerk, an Under-Sheriff; sometimes it is taken for a Clerk in the County-Court, or Deputy to the Under-Sheriff.
shire county n. a non-metropolitan county of the U.K., as instituted by the local government reorganization of 1974.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > [noun] > administrative divisions in Britain > shire or county
shire?a1000
county?a1400
vice-county1859
shire county1972
1972 Times 21 Sept. 4/2 The AMC received no guidance whether metropolitan county councils would want to be grouped with ‘shire’ counties or with district councils.
1977 Daily Tel. 25 Apr. 6/8 Britain's great conurbations and the shire counties are preparing for a..tussle.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > [noun] > court of shire or part of shire > held periodically
sizea1300
shire-court1376
county?1387
assizec1405
view of frankpledge1495
county courtc1520
quarter sessions1538
1376 Rolls of Parl. II. 348/2 Une novele Court appelle Shire-court a Arundell.
1503–4 Act 19 Hen. VII c. 24 The Shyre Courte for that Shyre shalbe holden & kepte one tyme at Chichestre aforseid, and the next tyme at the borowe of Lewes.
1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII c. 26 §58 The Countie or Shyre Courte of the Countie of Radnor.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > types of deliberative or legislative assembly > [noun] > English > day of
shire-day1482
1482 W. Caxton Policron. viii. xxi, in Higden (Rolls) VIII. 565 Also at Bedford on a shyreday were eyghten men murthred withoute stroke by fallynge doune of a steyr.
shire-hall n. = county hall n. at county n.1 and adj. Compounds 7.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > local government body > [noun] > local government offices > county hall
county hall1670
shire-house1759
shire-hall1796
1796 E. Inchbald Nature & Art (1820) xl. 135 The prisoners are demanded at the shire-hall.
?1881 Census Eng. & Wales: Instr. Clerks classifying Occupations & Ages (?1885) 30 Shire Hall Keeper.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > local government body > [noun] > local government offices > county hall
county hall1670
shire-house1759
shire-hall1796
1759 B. Martin Nat. Hist. Eng. II. 53 The Guild-hall, the Wool~hall, and the Shire-house.
shire-jury n. Historical the members of a shire-court.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > one who administers justice > jury > [noun] > of a shire court
shire-jury1822
1822 Edinb. Rev. 36 330 The Shire-jury was considered as constituting the ‘County’ or County Court.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > knight > [noun] > member of Parliament for a county
knight1399
shire-knight1399
1399 W. Langland Richard Redeles iv. 32 And whanne it drowe to þe day of þe dede-doynge, Þat souereynes were semblid and þe schire-knyȝtis,..þey begynne to declare Þe cause of her comynge.
shire-member n. a representative of a shire in Parliament.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > English or British parliament > [noun] > Member of Parliament > other types of member
burgessc1425
private member1606
recruiter1648
university member1774
unofficial member1822
labour member1871
Labour-Liberal1890
service member1890
front-bencher1907
back-bencher1910
shire-member1910
1910 W. L. Mathieson Awakening Scot. i. 8 Shire members and burgh members had united to form a House of Commons.
shire-oak n. an oak tree marking the boundary of a shire or a meeting place for a shire-court.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > tree or shrub groups > oak and allies > [noun] > boundary oak
shire-oak1751
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > edge, border, or margin > boundary > [noun] > land-boundary > boundary mark > tree
mere-thornOE
mere tree1585
holy oak1648
shire-oak1751
1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Worksop Certain oaks, called Shire-Oaks.
1879 J. R. Green Readings Eng. Hist. xxiii. 115 During the last half-hour the suiters had been gathering round the shire-oak.
shire-reeve n. etymologizing form of sheriff n.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > holder of office > magistrate > chief magistrate of a district > [noun] > sheriff or high sheriff
shiremanc1020
sheriffc1034
viscount1387
shire-reeve14..
high sheriff1450
14.. Langland's P. Pl. C. iv. 78 Boþe shire-reues and sergauntes.
1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 350 Our Magistrat nowe called a Sherif, or (to speake more truely, Shyrereue).
1765 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. I. Introd. §4. 112 The sheriff, shrieve, or shire-reeve.
1863 H. Cox Inst. Eng. Govt. iii. ix. 726 These reeves received in counties the appellation of shire-reeves.
shire-stone n. a stone serving as a boundary-mark of a shire (also in three-shire, four-shire-stone).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > edge, border, or margin > boundary > [noun] > land-boundary > boundary mark > stone
hoar-stone847
honeeOE
merestoneOE
markstoneOE
march stone1519
shire-stone1536
dool-stone1580
bound-stone1602
witter stone1615
metestone1617
bounder-stone1635
bourne-stone1837
1536 in J. Anderson Cal. Laing Charters (1899) 108 Fra the said croce lineallie east..to the schearstane; fra the scheirsteane lineallie eist [etc.].
1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire Map sig. B4v Four shire stone..three shire stones.
1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Morton in Marsh About one m. from hence, are the 4 shire-stones.
1825 Gentleman's Mag. June 516 Upon Wreynose Hill are placed the Shire-stones.
shire-town n. (a) the chief town of a shire, a county-town, see county n.1 and adj. Compounds 7; also transferred; (b) U.S. = county seat n. at county n.1 and adj. Compounds 7.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town > [noun] > chief town of county or district
shire-town1459
city1526
county town1626
bailiwick-town1675
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town > [noun] > chief town of county or district > in U.S.
shire-town1648
1459 Rolls of Parl. V. 368/1 Make open Proclamation in the Shire Toune of the same Shire or Shires.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke ii. f. lxxiiijv Every man went in to his awne shyre toune, there to be taxed.
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 396 Then Ouse saluteth Buckingham the Shire towne.
1648 in N. Bouton Provinc. Papers New-Hampsh. (1867) I. 189 The Court doth think fitt that the shire town of Norfolke be referred to further consideration.
1708 J. Chamberlayne Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (ed. 22) i. i. iii. 10 The Shire-Town is Derby.
1717 S. Sewall Diary 13 Jan. (1882) III. 132 Cambridge is the Shire-Town for Middlesex.
1857 M. H. Perley Hand-bk. New Brunswick 55 The shire town is Richibucto.
1881 Cent. Mag. Dec. 251/1 It was the central town in the county, and yet not the shire-town.
1969 Bangor (Maine) Daily News 10 July 1/5 (caption) This particular sign in Whiting..has omitted an ‘a’ from the shiretown of Washington County.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > local or municipal taxes or dues > [noun] > payments levied by sheriff
hundred-penny1189
sheriff's tooth1298
shire-wyte1425
sheriff gloves1528
sheriff fee1603
1425 in W. Kennett Parochial Antiq. (1695) 573 Et in solutis pro quadam pensione vocata Schire~wyte annuatim iv. sol.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
shireadj.
/ʃʌɪə/ Obsolete exc. dialect.† 1. Bright, shining. Obsolete.In Old English also figurative illustrious, noble. In Middle English alliterative verse sometimes a vague epithet of praise (= beautiful, fine, ‘sheen’).† 2. Of liquids, crystal, etc.: Clear, translucent.† 3. Pure, unmixed. Obsolete.† 4. Morally or spiritually clean; pure. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [adjective] > bright
shininga900
lighteOE
lightlyOE
sheenOE
torhtOE
shirea1000
steepa1000
shimmeringc1000
brightOE
strongOE
clear1297
fair?a1300
bright-shininga1387
merrya1393
skirea1400
lucident14..
shimc1400
staringc1400
luculentc1420
splendent1474
illuminousc1485
lucentc1500
bloominga1522
sheer1565
prelucent1568
faculent1575
splendant1578
lucid1591
neat1591
shine1596
translucent1596
well-lighted1606
nitid1615
lucible1623
dilucid1653
translucid1657
hard1660
OE Beowulf 979 Ðær abidan sceal maga mane fah miclan domes, hu him scir Metod scrifan wille.
a1000 Boeth. Metr. xxx. 9 Þeah hio [the sun] sie scir & beorht.
a1300 Havelok 588 She saw þer-inne a lith ful shir.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3848 Longe a-buten munt seyr, Folgede hem ðat skie scir.
a1400–50 Wars Alex. 2454 Schalkis scott in-to shipis all in shire mailes.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 317 Þe blod schot for scham in-to his schyre face & lere.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. biiii To se that his schire weid be sicker of assay.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 2373 In a shadow of shene tres & of shyre floures.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > transparency or translucence > [adjective]
shireOE
brightOE
through-shineOE
cleanc1040
cleara1400
transparent1413
crystalc1425
crystallinec1425
crystal-clear?a1439
pure1481
perspicuatea1500
beryl1508
through-shining1526
diaphane1561
thorough-seeable1562
pellucid1563
sheer1565
translucent1568
liquid1590
tralucent?1592
perspicuous1599
thorough light1601
diaphanic1614
diaphanous1614
perspicable1615
translucid1615
diaphanal1616
lucid1620
diaphaned1626
transpicuous1638
perlucid1647
dioptrical1760
dioptric1801
unconcealing1804
see-through1851
pellucent1886
pool-clear1924
OE Crist III 1282 Beoð þa syngan flæsc scandum þurwaden swa þæt scire glæs, þæt mon yþæst mæg eall þurhwlitan.
c1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 163/33 Limpidus, scir.
1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 6934 Als fyssches lyfes in water schyre.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9936 Midward þe heist ture..springes of scire water o welle.
a1400 Stockh. Med. MS. i. 119 in Anglia XVIII. 298 Hony, good & schyre.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 447/1 Schyre, as water and oþer lycure, perspicuus, clarus.
a1450 Ratis Raving i. 1492 Scho berys with hire lycor schyr That slokins syne as vatter fyre.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iii. viii. 48 The sesonable air pipis vp fair and schire.
1776 D. Herd Anc. & Mod. Sc. Songs (ed. 2) II. Gloss. s.v. We call..clear liquor shire.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > state or quality of being simple, unmixed, or uncompounded > [adjective]
shirec888
unmengedeOE
mereeOE
perfecta1393
unmeddleda1425
impermixta1475
unmingled1545
unpermixedc1545
sincere1546
unintermixed1595
immixt1622
untinct1646
single-fold1651
meracious1657
beaten1670
simple1818
pure1831
straight1856
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xv Nalles scir win hi ne druncan.
OE Beowulf 496 Þegn..se þe on handa bær hroden ealowæge, scencte scir wered.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15383 Forr siþþenn iss all þeȝȝre spell. Shir atterr. & shir galle. Till alle þa þatt herrcnenn itt.
a1340 R. Rolle Cant. in Psalter Psalter 516 Þat þa drynke þe shyrest blode of grape [L. sanguinem uvae meracissimum].
a1400–50 Wars Alex. 113 He shapis him of shire wax litill schipis many.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > purity > [adjective]
cleanlyc888
unwemmedc950
clean971
lightOE
whiteOE
unfiledc1200
shire?c1225
sheenc1275
wemlessc1275
undefouled13..
undefoileda1325
purec1330
unbleckedc1380
unfouledc1380
clear1382
impollutec1384
unblemishedc1400
undefiledc1400
unspottedc1400
virginc1400
spotless?a1430
immaculate1441
uncorruptc1450
unpollushed1490
intemeratea1492
incorrupted1529
unmaculate1535
impolluted1548
crystallinec1550
incorrupt1550
uncorrupted1565
undistained1565
unstained1573
entire1587
taintless1590
untainted1590
stainless1599
unsmirched1604
intemerated1608
indepravate1609
chastea1616
uncurseda1628
undishonested1631
untaint1638
Adamical1649
sincere1649
undebaucheda1656
unaccurseda1674
amiantal1674
unsoiled1699
unpolluted1732
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 181 O muchel is þe michte of schir & clene bone.
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 6 Þeos riwle is chearite of schir heorte & cleane inwit.
a1300 Cursor Mundi 26200 Scrift sal mak þi saul scirre.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 518 Metodius, ali martyr, Adde in his herte sig[ð]he sir.
a1400 Rel. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. 56 When Goddis seruandes hase depely thoghte with schire herte on Gode.
5.
a. Complete, perfect, utter; = sheer adj. 8. Also (with a negative), mere, bare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adjective] > utter or absolute
shirea1225
purec1300
properc1380
plainc1395
cleana1400
fine?a1400
entirec1400
veryc1400
starka1425
utterc1430
utterlyc1440
merec1443
absolute1531
outright1532
cleara1535
bloodyc1540
unproachable1544
flat1553
downright1577
sheer1583
right-down?1586
single1590
peremptory1601
perfecta1616
downa1625
implicit1625
every way1628
blank1637
out-and-outa1642
errant1644
inaccessional1651
thorough-paced1651
even down1654
dead1660
double-dyed1667
through stitch1681
through-stitched1682
total1702
thoroughgoing1719
thorough-sped1730
regular1740
plumb1748
hollow1751
unextenuated1765
unmitigated1783
stick, stock, stone dead1796
positive1802
rank1809
heart-whole1823
skire1825
solid1830
fair1835
teetotal1840
bodacious1845
raw1856
literal1857
resounding1873
roaring1884
all out1893
fucking1893
pink1896
twenty-four carat1900
grand slam1915
stone1928
diabolical1933
fricking1937
righteous1940
fecking1952
raving1954
a1225 Leg. Kath. 1286 Nere hit schendlac inoh, & schir scheome, to alle þæt ȝelpeð of lare?
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3580 He..dede ðat claf melten in fir, And stired it al to dust sir.
1513 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid viii. Prol. 78 This cuntre is full of Caynis kyne, And sic schyr schrewis.
c1520 J. Skelton Elynour Rummyng 466 They be wretchockes thou hast brought, They are shyre shakyng nought!
1540 J. Palsgrave tr. G. Gnapheus Comedye of Acolastus ii. iii. sig. Lj I wyll not gyue the sole .i. pure or shyre hope, but the thing.
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 69 As if the outside of the earth were a shire flat or level.
1710 T. Ruddiman in G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneis (new ed.) Gloss. at Schire Scot. we say, a skire fool, a shire knave, i.e. purus putus nebulo.
c1730 A. Ramsay Grub-St. 5 He's naething but a shire daft lick.
1836 M. Mackintosh Cottager's Daughter 59 He was a shire and worthless smaik.
b. (See quot. 1825.)
ΚΠ
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Shire, Shyre, used in the sense of strait, or S. scrimp; as, shire measure, that sort of measurement which allows not a hair-breadth beyond what mere justice demands.
6. Thin; tenuous, not dense; sparse, scanty. Of beer: Weak, ‘small’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > [adjective]
thin849
subtilea1393
airya1398
subtlea1398
rarea1400
shirec1400
finea1425
solutec1440
intenuate1471
slender1528
ethereal1590
tenuous1597
spare1602
unsolid1611
unsolute1612
tenuious1634
etherical1656
airlike1821
wire-drawn1876
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > [adjective] > scattered at wide intervals > in very small numbers
shirec1400
rare1555
sporadic1813
one-one1832
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > beer > [adjective] > qualities
strengthful1584
shire1721
deadish1742
entire1742
foxed1743
maltless1828
quarred1871
cocktail1888
fretty1897
light-struck1908
skunked1970
cask-conditioned1975
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) xxii. 101 Þe men of þat land has schyre [Cotton text (1839) 207 thynne] berdes with few hares in þam.
1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) xix. cxxx. sig. nniii/1 The more sadde a body is the more heuy it is: and the more shyre [a1398 BL Add. schere] & thynne the more lyght it is founde.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iv. v. 188 He vanist far away..in the schyre air [L. in tenuem..auram].
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 323/2 Shyre nat thycke, delie.
1547 W. Salesbury Dict. Eng. & Welshe Teneu, Thynne, shyre.
1599 A. Hume Hymnes sig. D2v My haires are schyre and gray.
1721 A. Ramsay To Ld. Dalhousie 34 He had rather live on cakes, And shyrest swats.
1776 D. Herd Anc. & Mod. Sc. Songs (ed. 2) II. Gloss. s.v. We call thin cloth..shire.
1879 G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. Shire, thin; scanty: said of crops.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
† shirev.1
Obsolete.
1. transitive. To declare, make known; to tell, utter.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)] > make known
shirec897
i-kenc1000
cryc1300
declarec1340
out-tella1382
commona1387
ascryc1400
commune1423
ventilate?1530
forespeak1546
outcry1567
oyez1599
vent1832
c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care xxviii. 198 Ac gif hie ðonne eallunga forberan ne mægen..ðæt hie hit ne sciren.
OE Beowulf 1939 Þæt hit sceadenmæl scyran moste, cwealmbealu cyðan.
a1250 Owl & Nightingale 1532 Wan he comeþ ham eft to his wiue, ne dar heo noȝt a word i-schire.]
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 8395 Nes þer nan swa hæh mon þat durste word sciren.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2036 Ðe wite is hise, ðe rigt is hire; God al-migtin ðe soðe shire.
2. To enlighten, purify (the mind or heart).
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > purity > make pure [verb (transitive)]
cleansec897
shire?c1225
clengea1300
purge1340
purec1350
purifya1393
whitena1400
sprinkle1526
refine1594
simplify1609
sublime1613
purgate1795
revirginize1852
bleach1868
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 281 Luue þeschireð & brichteð þe heorte.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 327 For is fruit sired mannes mood To witen boðen iwel and good.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
shirev.2
transitive. To divide (a country) into shires.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > divide into administrative areas [verb (transitive)]
cantonize1608
canton1619
district1792
shire1810
to map out1860
1810 W. Davies Gen. View Agric. N. Wales i. 2 It [North Wales] was shired by Henry the Eighth into six counties.
1867 Cal. State Papers Ireland 1574–85, 170 The Brenny and Annaly shired.
1885 R. Bagwell Ireland under Tudors I. 60 Ulster and Connaught were not shired.
1904 Edinb. Rev. July 215 When..he [Davies] effected the final shiring of Ulster.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
† shireadv.
Obsolete.
1. Brightly; clearly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [adverb] > brightly
brighteOE
lightOE
shireOE
fairOE
brightlyOE
sheen?c1225
shirelyc1230
sheenly1340
clearlya1375
shininglyc1384
clearc1385
cleana1400
shrillc1400
enclerea1440
lucidentlyc1508
sheerly1508
splendently1576
shiny1596
nitently1657
OE Andreas (1932) 835 Oðþæt dryhten forlet dægcandelle scire scinan.
a1300 Havelok 916 [Ich kan] kindlen ful wel a fyr, And maken it to brennan shir.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 956 Hir brest & hir bryȝt þrote bare displayed, Schon schyrer þen snawe.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. bv The sone in the sky wes schynyng so schir.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid ii. v. 14 Quhen the taknyng or the bail of fire Rais fro the kingis schip, wpbirnyng schire.
2. With main force, mightily; sheer or straight down.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > vertical position > [adverb] > almost or sheer
shireOE
sheer1829
sheerlya1894
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in downward direction
adowneOE
netherwardsOE
shireOE
netherOE
netherOE
netherwardOE
downOE
adownwardOE
downwardslOE
downwardc1225
downhilla1398
alowc1450
downwith1488
downside1664
dahn1849
the world > action or operation > manner of action > violent action or operation > [adverb] > with violence or force > with full or main force or violence
shireOE
amain1550
OE Crist III 1141 Scire burstan muras ond stanas monge æfter foldan.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3045 O morgen al swilc time, al sir Ðunder and hail and leuenes fir Cam wel vnghere.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 506 Schyre schedeȝ þe rayn in schowreȝ ful warme.
a1513 W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen in Poems (1998) I. 41 Kemmit war thair clier hair and curiouslie sched, Attour thair schulderis doun schyre, schyning full bricht.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.c725
adj.c888
v.1c897
v.21810adv.OE