sheriff
noun
- law enforcement official
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈʃɛɹɪf/ / /ˈʃɛɹəf/
name
Etymology: From sheriff.
- An English surname originating as an occupation.
noun
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English shirreve, in turn inherited from Old English sċīrġerēfa, corresponding to shire + reeve. There is no etymological connection to Sharif (Arabic شَرِيف (šarīf)), an Arabic title of honour with cognates in other languages, including Persian, Punjabi, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.
- (High Sheriff) An official of a shire or county office, responsible for carrying out court orders, law enforcement and other duties.
- A judge in the sheriff court, the court of a county or sheriffdom.
- A government official, usually responsible for law enforcement in their county and for administration of the county jail, sometimes an officer of the court, usually elected.
verb
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English shirreve, in turn inherited from Old English sċīrġerēfa, corresponding to shire + reeve. There is no etymological connection to Sharif (Arabic شَرِيف (šarīf)), an Arabic title of honour with cognates in other languages, including Persian, Punjabi, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.
- To carry out the duties of a sheriff.