-shire

shire English Etymology See en shire. Pronunciation en /-ʃə/ /-ʃɪə/ /-ʃaɪə/ RP see usage notes en /-ʃɚ/ /-ʃɪ(ə)ɹ/ /-ʃaɪɚ/ GA see usage notes Suffix 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)/ [ʃɪː] 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 en References Anagrams en ehirs Hersi Hires Hiser Sheri Shier heirs hi-res hires reish shier