bail·iff

[bey-lif]
noun
1.
an officer, similar to a sheriff or a sheriff's deputy, employed to execute writs and processes, make arrests, keep order in the court, etc.
2.
(in Britain) a person charged with local administrative authority, or the chief magistrate in certain towns.
3.
(especially in Britain) an overseer of a landed estate or farm.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English baillif < Old French, equivalent to bail custody (see bail1) + -if -ive

bail·iff·ship, noun
sub·bail·iff, noun
un·der·bail·iff, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To bailiff
00:10
Bailiff is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Collins
World English Dictionary
bailiff (ˈbeɪlɪf) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  (Brit) the agent or steward of a landlord or landowner
2.  a sheriff's officer who serves writs and summonses, makes arrests, and ensures that the sentences of the court are carried out
3.  chiefly (Brit) (formerly) a high official having judicial powers
4.  chiefly (US) an official having custody of prisoners appearing in court
 
[C13: from Old French baillif, from bail custody; see bail1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bailiff
mid-13c., from O.Fr. baillif (12c., nom. baillis) "administrative official, deputy," from V.L. *bajulivus "official in charge of a castle," from L. bajulus "porter." Used in M.E. of a public administrator of a district, a chief officer of a Hundred, or an officer under a sheriff.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Requests for hearing dates are accepted by email sent to the bailiff.
The bailiff testified that the jury foreman came to the door and told her that
  they were finished deliberating.
The bailiff did not recall making a statement that the jurors were stuck with
  him.
Farmers faced with bank repossession-he was one-warded off the bailiff by going
  on hunger strike.
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