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sheriff definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the principal law-enforcement officer in a county

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English shirreve, from Old English sc?rger?fa, from sc?r shire + ger?fa reeve — more at shire, reeve Date: before 12th century an important official of a shire or county charged primarily with judicial duties (as executing the processes and orders of courts and judges) • sheriffdom noun

Britannica Concise

In the U.S., the chief law-enforcement officer for the courts in a county. The sheriff, who is ordinarily elected, may appoint a deputy. They have the power of police officers to enforce criminal law and may summon private citizens (the posse comitatus, or "force of the county") to help maintain the peace. The main judicial duty of the sheriff is to execute processes and writs of the courts. Officers of this name also exist in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. In England the office of sheriff existed before the Norman Conquest (1066).

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 Brit. a (also High Sheriff) the chief executive officer of the Crown in a county, administering justice etc. b an honorary officer elected annually in some towns. 2 US an elected officer in a county, responsible for keeping the peace. Phrases and idioms: sheriff court Sc. a county court. sheriff-depute Sc. the chief judge of a county or district. Derivatives: sheriffalty n. (pl. -ies). sheriffdom n. sheriffhood n. sheriffship n. Etymology: OE scir-gerefa (as SHIRE, REEVE(1))

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sheriff Sher"iff, n. [OE. shereve, AS. sc[=i]r-ger?fa; sc[=i]r a shire + ger?fa a reeve. See Shire, and Reeve, and cf. Shrievalty.] The chief officer of a shire or county, to whom is intrusted the execution of the laws, the serving of judicial writs and processes, and the preservation of the peace. Note: In England, sheriffs are appointed by the king. In the United States, sheriffs are elected by the legislature or by the citizens, or appointed and commissioned by the executive of the State. The office of sheriff in England is judicial and ministerial. In the United States, it is mainly ministerial. The sheriff, by himself or his deputies, executes civil and criminal process throughout the county, has charge of the jail and prisoners, attends courts, and keeps the peace. His judicial authority is generally confined to ascertaining damages on writs of inquiry and the like. Sheriff, in Scotland, called sheriff depute, is properly a judge, having also certain ministerial powers. Sheriff clerk is the clerk of the Sheriff's Court in Scotland. Sheriff's Court in London is a tribunal having cognizance of certain personal actions in that city. --Wharton, Tomlins. Erskine.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sheriffs) 1. In the United States, a sheriff is a person who is elected to make sure that the law is obeyed in a particular county. ...the local sheriff. N-COUNT; N-TITLE 2. In Scotland, a sheriff is a legal officer whose chief duty is to act as judge in a Sheriff Court. These courts deal with all but the most serious crimes and with most civil actions. ...the presiding judge, Sheriff John Mowatt. N-COUNT; N-TITLE 3. In England and Wales, the Sheriff of a city or county is a person who is elected or appointed to carry out mainly ceremonial duties. ...the Sheriff of Oxford. N-COUNT: usu N of n

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sher'-if (Aramaic tiphtaye' "judicial," "a lawyer," "a sheriff" (Da 3:2 f]): Probably a "lawyer" or "jurist" whose business it was to decide points of law. At best, however, the translation "sheriff" is but a conjecture.

Moby Thesaurus

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