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-shire. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-shire, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-shire in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-shire you have here. The definition of the word
-shire will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
-shire, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
See shire.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-shire
- A combining form used in the names of British counties.
Usage notes
While multiple pronunciations are given above for this suffix, they are not freely interchangeable. In normal usage, most counties take /-ʃə(ɹ)/, though /-ʃɪə(ɹ)/ is also possible. However, in the names of some Scottish counties, it is sometimes pronounced as /-ʃaɪə(ɹ)/ (Scottish English /-ʃʌɪɹ/), reflecting the local pronunciation. Speakers of Scottish English may extend this pronunciation to all county names; it is also quite common in American English for county names (but not for American locales named after them).
See also
References
Anagrams