English Explanatory Dictionary

bailiff

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An officer of the court
  2. A reeve, (specifically) the chief officer executing the decisions of any English court in the period following the Norman Conquest or executing the decisions of lower courts in the late medieval and early modern period.
  3. A high bailiff: an officer of the county courts responsible for executing warrants and court orders, appointed by the judge and removable by the Lord Chancellor.
  4. A bound bailiff: a deputy bailiff charged with debt collection.
  5. Any law enforcement officer charged with courtroom security and order.
  6. A huissier de justice or other foreign officer of the court acting as either a process server or as courtroom security.
  7. A public administrator
  8. A king's man: any officer nominated by the English Crown.
  9. Synonym of hundredman: The chief officer of a hundred in medieval England.
  10. The title of the mayor of certain English towns.
  11. The title of the castellan of certain royal castles in England.
  12. The chief justice and president of the legislature on Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands.
name
  1. A surname originating as an occupation.

Pronunciation

bāʹ-lĭf /ˈbeɪlɪf/ En-au-bailiff.ogg

Word forms

bailiff bailiffs

Etymology

From Middle English baillif, baylyf, from Anglo-Norman and Old French bailif (plural bailis), probably from Vulgar Latin *bāiulivus (“castellan”), from Latin bāiulus (“porter; steward”), whence also bail. As a translation of foreign titles, semantic loan from French bailli, Scots bailie, Dutch baljuw, etc. Mostly replaced the role of native reeve. Doublet of bailo.

Synonyms

steward overseer high bailiff high-bailiff warrant officer beadle catchpoll bumbailiff process server hundredman mayor castellan bailly bailie consul capitoul jurat landvogt

Related words

bail bailing bailee bailer bailey bailie bailiery bailiary bailiric bailivate bailiwick bailliage baillie bailly reeve

Derived words

bailiff-errant bailiff-haunted bailiff-peer bailiffry bailiffship bailiffwick bumbailiff bum-bailiff bum bailiff deputy bailiff deputy high bailiff farm bailiff High-bailiff High Bailiff jury bailiff private bailiff provincial bailiff subbailiff underbailiff under-bailiff water bailiff

Translations

Chinese Cantonese: 執達吏 /执达吏 Chinese Cantonese: 執達主任 /执达主任 Chinese Mandarin: 執達吏 /执达吏 Chinese Mandarin: 執達主任 /执达主任 Chinese Mandarin: 法警 Irish: báille Irish: maor Latin: ballivus Latin: bāiulus Malay: bailif Malay: بايليف Manx: baylee Manx: meoir Polish: baliw Polish: komornik Polish: komornica Russian: бе́йлиф Russian: суде́бный исполни́тель Russian: суде́бный при́став Russian: при́став-исполни́тель Scottish Gaelic: maor Scottish Gaelic: bàillidh Arabic: مَأْمُور Armenian: դատական կարգադրիչ Belarusian: судо́вы выкана́ўца Bulgarian: съде́бен при́став Catalan: algutzir Catalan: agutzil Czech: soudní exekutor Dutch: baljuw Dutch: drost Dutch: drossaard Dutch: amman Dutch: meier Dutch: schout Dutch: gerechtsdeurwaarder Faroese: fúti Finnish: vouti Finnish: oikeudenpalvelija French: huissier French: huissier de justice Galician: bailío Galician: meiriño Galician: pertegueiro Galician: godallo German: Gerichtsvollzieher German: Büttel German: Häscher Hindi: कारिदा Hungarian: végrehajtó Indonesian: juru sita Ingrian: kubjas Japanese: 執達吏 Korean: 집행관 Macedonian: су́дски извр́шител Polabian: åberhai̯d Polabian: amman Portuguese: oficial de justiça Portuguese: meirinho Slovak: exekútor Slovak: súdny exekútor Spanish: alguacil Swedish: fogde Swedish: tillsyningsman Ukrainian: судови́й викона́вець Venetan: ofisiałe
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