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Glite Dictionary
shire town

shire town

8.4
A town that is the main place for county government, like where the courthouse is
  • noun
  • /ˈʃaɪər taʊn/
translation icon : ciudad del condado
  • In many counties, the shire town acts as the hub for local government offices and services.

Examples

  • " Maidstone, the shire town for Kent."

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Cambridge is the shire town of Cambridgeshire, known for its prestigious university.

  • The annual fair takes place in the shire town, attracting visitors from all around the region.

Synonyms

county seat
vsshire town
  • US
6 4.3

A town or city where the county government has its main offices

is the regional name used in England and New England instead of this general label
county town
vsshire town
  • UK
3.4

A town where the county government has its main offices

is used especially in parts of England and New England rather than generally

Surface Forms

shire town singular
shire towns plural

Morphology

shire + town

The meaning 'a town that serves as the administrative center of a county' is directly derivable from combining 'shire' (county) with 'town' (settlement), following a straightforward compositional noun-noun pattern. Although somewhat regional/historical, this logic is transparent and a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Shire town The name shire town comes from old times in England, where a shire was like a 'county' and the town was the place where the court and officials met. So a shire town is the 'administrative center' or main town of a county.