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bailiff

 - 3 dictionary results

bail⋅iff

  [bey-lif]
Use bailiff in a Sentence
–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. (esp. in Britain) an overseer of a landed estate or farm.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME baillif < OF, equiv. to bail custody (see bail 1 ) + -if -ive

Related forms:
bail⋅iff⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bailiff
bail·iff   (bā'lĭf)   
n.  

  1. A court attendant entrusted with duties such as the maintenance of order in a courtroom during a trial.

  2. An official who assists a British sheriff and who has the power to execute writs, processes, and arrests.

  3. Chiefly British An overseer of an estate; a steward.


[Middle English baillif, from Old French baillis, baillif-, overseer of an estate, steward, from Medieval Latin *bāiulīvus, from Latin bāiulus, carrier.]
bail'iff·ship' n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: bai·liff
Pronunciation: 'bA-l&f
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French, steward, king's official, from bail stewardship, custody, handing over —see BAIL
: an officer of some courts in the U.S. whose duties usually include keeping order in the courtroom and guarding prisoners or jurors in deliberation
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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