English Explanatory Dictionary

Leicestershire

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. An inland county of England bordered by Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Derbyshire.

Pronunciation

/ˈlɛs.tə(ɹ).ʃə(ɹ)/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Leicestershire.wav

Word forms

Leicestershire

Etymology

From Old English Lægreċeastresċīr. The middle and last element are ceaster (“town, city”) and scir (“district”), common in placenames. The first element is probably from the former name of the river Soar, *Ligora, *Ligera, of Celtic/Brythonic origin, from Proto-Celtic *legyā (“sediment”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”), similar to the French river Loire. By surface analysis, Leicester + -shire.

Derived words

Leicestershire cheese North West Leicestershire
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