Leicestershire

English

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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛs.tə(ɹ).ʃə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Proper noun

Leicestershire

1. An inland county of England bordered by Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Derbyshire.
   • 2024 November 19, Nicola Venning, “Welcome to the Notswolds”, in Country Life‎^[1], archived from the original on 14 May 2025:

     Rutland (and some of the bordering ‘Notswolds’ counties of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire) have the same mellow, creamy limestone as the Cotswolds and boast beguiling market towns and villages that are every bit as attractive, but without the tourists or hefty prices.

Derived terms

• Leicestershire cheese
• North West Leicestershire