Word Meanings - SHERIFF - Book Publishers vocabulary database

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

Additional info about word: SHERIFF

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.

Related words: (words related to SHERIFF)

• CHIEFLESS
  Without a chief or leader.
• UNITERABLE
  Not iterable; incapable of being repeated. "To play away an uniterable life." Sir T. Browne.
• JUDICIAL
  1. Pertaining or appropriate to courts of justice, or to a judge; practiced or conformed to in the administration of justice; sanctioned or ordered by a court; as, judicial power; judicial proceedings; a judicial sale. "Judicial massacres."
• SERVING
  a & n. from Serve. Serving board , a flat piece of wood used in serving ropes. -- Serving maid, a female servant; a maidservant. -- Serving mallet , a wooden instrument shaped like a mallet, used in serving ropes. -- Serving man, a male servant,
• SERVO-MOTOR
  A relay apparatus; specif.: An auxiliary motor, regulated by a hand lever, for quickly and easily moving the reversing gear of a large marine engine into any desired position indicated by that of the hand lever, which controls the valve
• SERVILELY
  In a servile manner; slavishly.
• PEACEBREAKER
  One who disturbs the public peace. -- Peace"break`ing, n.
• SERVILENESS
  Quality of being servile; servility.
• SERVABLE
  Capable of being preserved. (more info) 1. Capable of being served. 2. Etym:
• UNITIVE
  Having the power of uniting; causing, or tending to produce, union. Jer. Taylor.
• CHIEFEST
  First or foremost; chief; principal. "Our chiefest courtier." Shak. The chiefest among ten thousand. Canticles v. 10.
• SERVITORSHIP
  The office, rank, or condition of a servitor. Boswell.
• SERVER
  1. One who serves. 2. A tray for dishes; a salver. Randolph.
• UNITARIANISM
  The doctrines of Unitarians.
• COUNTY
  1. An earldom; the domain of a count or earl. 2. A circuit or particular portion of a state or kingdom, separated from the rest of the territory, for certain purposes in the administration of justice and public affairs; -- called also a shire.
• APPOINTER
  One who appoints, or executes a power of appointment. Kent.
• UNITARIANIZE
  To change or turn to Unitarian views.
• SERVIAN
  Of or pertaining to Servia, a kingdom of Southern Europe. -- n.
• APPOINTMENT
  The exercise of the power of designating (under a "power of appointment") a person to enjoy an estate or other specific property; also, the instrument by which the designation is made. 6. Equipment, furniture, as for a ship or an army; whatever
• EXECUTIONER
  1. One who executes; an executer. Bacon. 2. One who puts to death in conformity to legal warrant, as a hangman.
• DISSERVE
  To fail to serve; to do injury or mischief to; to damage; to hurt; to harm. Have neither served nor disserved the interests of any party. Jer. Taylor. (more info) Etym:
• RESERVE
  1. To keep back; to retain; not to deliver, make over, or disclose. "I have reserved to myself nothing." Shak. 2. Hence, to keep in store for future or special use; to withhold from present use for another purpose or time; to keep; to retain. Gen.
• DESERVEDNESS
  Meritoriousness.
• CONSERVATIONAL
  Tending to conserve; preservative.
• KERCHIEF
  couvrechef, F. couvrechef, a head covering, fr. couvrir to cover + 1. A square of fine linen worn by women as a covering for the head; hence, anything similar in form or material, worn for ornament on other parts of the person; -- mostly used in
• MALEXECUTION
  Bad execution. D. Webster.
• MISOBSERVE
  To observe inaccurately; to mistake in observing. Locke.
• SUBSERVIENCE; SUBSERVIENCY
  The quality or state of being subservient; instrumental fitness or use; hence, willingness to serve another's purposes; in a derogatory sense, servility. The body wherein appears much fitness, use, and subserviency to infinite functions. Bentley.
• INSERVE
  To be of use to an end; to serve.
• PUBLIC-SERVICE CORPORATION; QUASI-PUBLIC CORPORATION
  A corporation, such as a railroad company, lighting company, water company, etc., organized or chartered to follow a public calling or to render services more or less essential to the general public convenience or safety.
• TINKERSHIRE; TINKLE
  The common guillemot.
• MISCHIEF
  + chief end, head, F. chef chief. See Minus, and 1. Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil caused by
• OBSERVANCY
  Observance.
• YORKSHIRE
  A county in the north of England. Yorkshire grit, a kind of stone used for polishing marble, and copperplates for engravers. Simmonds. -- Yorkshire pudding, a batter pudding baked under meat.