tipstaff

[ tip-staf, -stahf ]

noun,plural tip·staves [tip-steyvz], /ˈtɪpˌsteɪvz/, tip·staffs.
  1. an attendant or crier in a court of law.

  2. a staff tipped with metal, formerly carried as a badge of office, as by a constable.

  1. any official who carried such a staff.

Origin of tipstaff

1
1535–45; shortened form of earlier tipped staff;see tip1, -ed3, staff1

Words Nearby tipstaff

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How to use tipstaff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tipstaff

tipstaff

/ (ˈtɪpˌstɑːf) /


noun
  1. a court official having miscellaneous duties, mostly concerned with the maintenance of order in court

  2. a metal-tipped staff formerly used as a symbol of office

Origin of tipstaff

1
C16 tipped staff; see tip 1, staff 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012