Bedfordshire

B3E1D2F4O1R1D2S1H4I1R1E1
UK/ˈbɛd.fəd.ʃə(ɹ)/

proper noun

A midland county of England, county town Bedford, bounded by Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

OriginMiddle English Bedefordschire ← Old English Bedanfordsċīr →
Less commonScrabble 22
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Meanings

proper nounBedfordshire (abbreviation Beds)

abbreviation Beds

  1. A midland county of England, county town Bedford, bounded by Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
  2. UKslangBed.

    Now come along young lady, up to Bedfordshire.

    1998, Mary Sheepshanks, A Price for Everything
    1 more example

    I'll be up to Bedfordshire if you two don't mind. I'm on early shift in the morning so I'll have to be up and out by five.

    1993, Tom Wakefield, War Paint

Origin

  1. Old EnglishBedanfordsċīr
  2. Middle EnglishBedefordschire
  3. EnglishBedfordshire

From Middle English Bedefordschire, from Old English Bedanfordsċīr, equivalent to Bedford + shire.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Bedfordshire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bedfordshire

MLA

“Bedfordshire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bedfordshire. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bedfordshire,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bedfordshire.

Source: Bedfordshire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.