In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
SHIRES
Noun
shires
plural of shire
Anagrams
• Hisers, Shiers, hisser, shiers
Proper noun
Shires
plural of Shire
Anagrams
• Hisers, Shiers, hisser, shiers
Source: Wiktionary
SHIRE
Shire, n. Etym: [AS. scire, scir, 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.
SHIRE
Shire, n. Etym: [AS. scire, scir, 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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
15 April 2025
DOOMED
(adjective) marked by or promising bad fortune; “their business venture was doomed from the start”; “an ill-fated business venture”; “an ill-starred romance”; “the unlucky prisoner was again put in irons”- W.H.Prescott
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