3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Shire  \Shire\,  n.  [AS.  sc[=i]re,  sc[=i]r,  a  division,  province, 
  county.  Cf  {Sheriff}.] 
  1.  A  portion  of  Great  Britain  originally  under  the 
  supervision  of  an  earl;  a  territorial  division,  usually 
  identical  with  a  county,  but  sometimes  limited  to  a 
  smaller  district;  as  Wiltshire,  Yorkshire,  Richmondshire 
  Hallamshire 
 
  An  indefinite  number  of  these  hundreds  make  up  a 
  county  or  shire.  --Blackstone. 
 
  2.  A  division  of  a  State,  embracing  several  contiguous 
  townships;  a  county.  [U.  S.] 
 
  Note:  Shire  is  commonly  added  to  the  specific  designation  of 
  a  county  as  a  part  of  its  name  as  Yorkshire  instead 
  of  York  shire,  or  the  shire  of  York;  Berkshire  instead 
  of  Berks  shire.  Such  expressions  as  the  county  of 
  Yorkshire,  which  in  a  strict  sense  are  tautological, 
  are  used  in  England.  In  the  United  States  the  composite 
  word  is  sometimes  the  only  name  of  a  county;  as 
  Berkshire  county,  as  it  is  called  in  Massachusetts, 
  instead  of  Berks  county,  as  in  Pensylvania. 
 
  The  Tyne,  Tees,  Humber,  Wash,  Yare,  Stour,  and 
  Thames  separate  the  counties  of  Northumberland, 
  Durham,  Yorkshire,  Lincolnshire,  etc  --Encyc. 
  Brit. 
 
  {Knight  of  the  shire}.  See  under  {Knight}. 
 
  {Shire  clerk},  an  officer  of  a  county  court;  also  an  under 
  sheriff.  [Eng.] 
 
  {Shire  mote}  (Old.  Eng.  Law),  the  county  court;  sheriff's 
  turn,  or  court.  [Obs.]  --Cowell.  --Blackstone. 
 
  {Shire  reeve}  (Old  Eng.  Law),  the  reeve,  or  bailiff,  of  a 
  shire;  a  sheriff.  --Burrill. 
 
  {Shire  town},  the  capital  town  of  a  county;  a  county  town. 
 
  {Shire  wick},  a  county;  a  shire.  [Obs.]  --Holland. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  County  \Coun"ty\  (koun"t?),  n.;  pl  {Counties}  (-t?z).  [F. 
  comt?,  fr  LL  comitatus  See  {Count}.] 
  1.  An  earldom;  the  domain  of  a  count  or  earl.  [Obs.] 
 
  2.  A  circuit  or  particular  portion  of  a  state  or  kingdom, 
  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  territory,  for  certain 
  purposes  in  the  administration  of  justice  and  public 
  affairs;  --  called  also  a  {shire}.  See  {Shire}. 
 
  Every  county,  every  town,  every  family,  was  in 
  agitation.  --Macaulay. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  shire 
  n  1:  (British)  a  former  administrative  district  of  England; 
  equivalent  to  a  county 
  2:  British  breed  of  large  heavy  draft  horse  [syn:  {shire  horse}] 

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