Shire

n.	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. 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. Shire mote (Old. Eng. Law) the county court; sheriff's turn, or court. Shire reeve (Old Eng. Law) the reeve, or bailiff, of a shire; a sheriff. - Cowell. Shire town the capital town of a county; a county town. - Burrill. Shire wick a county; a shire. - Holland.

Noun	1.	shire - a former administrative district of England; equivalent to a county
	2.	shire - British breed of large heavy draft horse Synonyms: shire horse

SHIRE, Eng. law. A district or division of country. Co. Lit. 50 a.

Kreis, archbishopric, archdiocese, arrondissement, bailiwick, bishopric, borough, canton, city, commune, congressional district, constablewick, county, departement, diocese, district, duchy, electoral district, electorate, government, hamlet, hundred, magistracy, metropolis, metropolitan area, oblast, okrug, parish, precinct, principality, province, region, riding, sheriffalty, sheriffwick, shrievalty, soke, stake, state, territory, town, township, village, wapentake, ward

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