a former administrative district of England; equivalent to a county
"The historic shire was once an important administrative district in rural England before local government reforms reorganized it into counties."
British breed of large heavy draft horse
"The farmer hitched his new Shire to the plow, marveling at its immense strength as it pulled through the muddy field."
Physical area administered by a sheriff.
"The historical shire was once a physical area directly administered by the county sheriff."
In plain English: A shire is an old-fashioned name for a county, especially those found in England and Wales.
"The entire shire was covered in thick fog during winter."
To (re)constitute as one or more shires or counties.
"The new legislation aims to reorganize several rural districts and constabularies into a single unified shire."
In plain English: To shire something means to divide an area into smaller sections for easier management.
"The old king shired his kingdom among his loyal vassals to ensure peace across the land."
A surname.
"The Mayor announced that his new policy would be named after a prominent local shire."
The word shire comes from the Old English sċīr, which originally referred to an administrative region governed by a sheriff. It entered Middle English as schire before evolving into its modern form meaning a county or district.