SHERIFF
sheriff
(noun) the principal law-enforcement officer in a county
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
sheriff (plural sheriffs)
(British, except Scotland) (High Sheriff) An official of a shire or county office, responsible for carrying out court orders, law enforcement and other duties.
(Scotland) A judge in the sheriff court, the court of a county or sheriffdom.
(US) A government official, usually responsible for law enforcement in his county and for administration of the county jail, sometimes an officer of the court, usually elected.
Verb
sheriff (third-person singular simple present sheriffs, present participle sheriffing, simple past and past participle sheriffed)
To carry out the duties of a sheriff
Anagrams
• Shiffer
Etymology
Proper noun
Sheriff
An English surname.
Anagrams
• Shiffer
Source: Wiktionary
Sher"iff, n. Etym: [OE. shereve, AS. scir-ger; scir a shire + ger a
reeve. See Shire, and Reeve, and cf. Shrievalty.]
Definition: 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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition