-shire

See also: shire

English edit

Etymology edit

See shire.

Pronunciation edit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /-ʃə/, /-ʃɪə/, /-ʃaɪə/ (see usage notes)
(General American) IPA^(key): /-ʃɚ/, /-ʃɪ(ə)ɹ/, /-ʃaɪɚ/ (see usage notes)

Suffix edit

-shire

A combining form used in the names of British counties.

Usage notes edit

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).

References edit

“-shire”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams edit

Hersi, Hires, Hiser, Sheri, Shier, heirs, hi-res, hires, reish, shier