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# shire

noun (a shire, shires)

«shire» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (UK) A shire is an old word for a county, a large area of a country; many English counties end in «-shire», such as Yorkshire and Lancashire. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#m1)
2. (Australia) A shire is a country local council area with its own council. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#m2)
3. The Shire is the peaceful home of the hobbits in Tolkien's books. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#m3)
4. A Shire horse is a very large, strong farm horse from England. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#m4)

### In the lessons

In geography lessons it explains county names (Yorkshire, Hampshire); «the shires» means the countryside of England. In Australia, kids see «Shire of …» on signs. Phrases: «the shires», «Shire horse», «shire council».

### Examples

- Yorkshire and Lancashire are counties ending in -shire. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#x1)
- In Australia, the local shire council collects the rubbish. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#x2)
- Shire horses once pulled ploughs on farms. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#x3)
- Frodo and Bilbo lived in the Shire. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#x4)
- A Shire horse can weigh as much as a small car. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#x5)
- The road sign said «Welcome to the Shire of Broome». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/#x6)

### Note

In county names «-shire» is usually said «-sher», like «YORK-sher», not «-shy-er». On its own «shire» rhymes with «fire». Capital letter for names: the Shire, Shire horse.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «shire» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shire/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«shire» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/shire.html) on Mova free.