Adjacent Words

Constable definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONSTABLE, n. [L., a stable; count of the stable.]
1. The Lord High Constable of England, the seventh officer of the crown. He had the care of the common peace, in deeds of arms, and matters of war; being a judge of the court of chivalry, now called the court of honor. To this officer and to the Earl marshal belonged the cognizance of the contracts, deeds of arms, without the realm, and combats and blazonry within the realm. The power of this officer was so great and so improperly used, that it was abridged by the 13th Richard II., and was afterwards forfeited in the person of Edward Stafford, duke of Buckingham, in 1521. It has never been granted to any person, since that time, except pro hac vice, or on a particular occasion.
2. An officer of the peace. In England, there are high constables, petty constables, and constables of London. The high constables are chosen at the court leets of the franchise or hundred over which they preside, or in default of that, by the justices of the quarter sessions, and are removable by the same authority that appoints them. The petty constables are chosen by the jury of the court leet, or if no court is held, they are appointed by two justices of the peace. In London, a constable is nominated in each precinct by the inhabitants, and confirmed at the court of wardmote. The duty of constables is to keep the peace, and for this purpose they are invested with the power of arresting and imprisoning, and of breaking open houses.
In the United States, constables are town or city officers of the peace, with powers similar to those possessed by the constables in Great Britain. They are invested also with powers to execute civil as well as criminal process, and to levy executions. In New England, they are elected by the inhabitants of towns in legal meeting.
To overrun the constable, to spend more than a man is worth or can pay; a vulgar phrase.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff
2: English landscape painter (1776-1837) [syn: Constable, John Constable]
3: a police officer of the lowest rank [syn: constable, police constable]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English conestable, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin comes stabuli, literally, officer of the stable Date: 13th century 1. a high officer of a royal court or noble household especially in the Middle Ages 2. the warden or governor of a royal castle or a fortified town 3. a. a public officer usually of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace and for minor judicial duties b. chiefly British police officer; especially one ranking below sergeant

Merriam Webster's

biographical name John 1776-1837 English painter

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 Brit. a a policeman or policewoman. b (also police constable) a police officer of the lowest rank. 2 the governor of a royal castle. 3 hist. the principal officer in a royal household. Phrases and idioms: Chief Constable the head of the police force of a county or other region. Etymology: ME f. OF conestable f. LL comes stabuli count of the stable

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Constable Con"sta*ble (k[u^]n"st[.a]*b'l), n. [OE. conestable, constable, a constable (in sense 1), OF. conestable, F. conn['e]table, LL. conestabulus, constabularius, comes stabuli, orig., count of the stable, master of the horse, equerry; comes count (L. companion) + L. stabulum stable. See Count a nobleman, and Stable.] 1. A high officer in the monarchical establishments of the Middle Ages.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(constables) 1. In Britain and some other countries, a constable is a police officer of the lowest rank. He was a constable at Sutton police station. ...Constable Stuart Clark... Thanks for your help, Constable. N-COUNT; N-TITLE; N-VOC see also Chief Constable 2. In the United States, a constable is an official who helps keep the peace in a town. They are lower in rank than a sheriff. N-COUNT; N-TITLE

Moby Thesaurus

G-man, John Law, MP, bailiff, beadle, beagle, bobby, bound bailiff, bull, captain, catchpole, chief of police, commissioner, cop, copper, deputy, deputy sheriff, detective, fed, federal, flatfoot, flic, fuzz, gendarme, government man, inspector, lictor, lieutenant, mace-bearer, marshal, mounted policeman, narc, officer, paddy, patrolman, peace officer, peeler, police captain, police commissioner, police constable, police inspector, police matron, police officer, police sergeant, policeman, policewoman, portreeve, reeve, roundsman, sergeant, sergeant at arms, sheriff, superintendent, tipstaff, tipstaves, trooper