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Berkshire

Berkshire

6 4.7
A county in southern England west of London
  • proper noun
: Berkshire
  • Situated to the west of London, Berkshire is known for its beautiful parks and gardens.
  • Berkshire, England

Examples

  • Mary Paul, Berkshire, England

    Academic text (2006)
  • Outside, the rain has stopped as the storm passes, moving northeast toward Salisbury and Berkshire.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The next summer, my mother and I went to a different camp in the Berkshire region of Connecticut.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Today, a group of people have come to this lab in Berkshire to undergo a rather special test.

  • The year before, the glorious Berkshire autumn had seemed endless.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Proceeds go to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, earmarked for Berkshire County.

    Blog text (22)
  • From September 1990, the Duke attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire for five years until 5th July, 1995.

  • Agricultural laborers in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire were among the poorest in England.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Chemical analysis of the mattress covers was carried out by Springborn Laboratories (UK) Ltd, Reading, Berkshire.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Warren Buffett is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company based in Nebraska.

    Blog text (23)

Compounds

A low mountain area in western Massachusetts with resorts and beautiful views

Surface Forms

Berkshire main

Morphology

Berkshire = Berk (semi-transparent) = berk + shire

The suffix '-shire' clearly signals a county to many learners, but the element 'Berk-' is not a recognizable standalone English word, so the full composition is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Berkshire comes from Old English parts: the -shire part means 'district' or 'county' and the Berk- part probably comes from an old word for 'birch', the tree, or for 'hill'. So Berkshire basically means 'the county of the birch trees' or 'hill county', which explains its use as the name of a county in England.