Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

constable

/ˈkɑn.stə.bəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.79 in modern English

Syllables
con-sta-ble
IPA
/ˈkɑn.stə.bəl/
13
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One holding the lowest rank in most Commonwealth police forces. (See also chief constable.)

noun

A police officer or an officer with equivalent powers.

British usage

noun

An officer of a noble court in the Middle Ages, usually a senior army commander. (See also marshal).

noun

The warden of a castle.

noun

An elected or appointed public officer, usually at municipal level, responsible for maintaining order or serving writs and court orders.

American usage

noun

An elected head of a parish (also known as a connétable)

noun

A large butterfly, Dichorragia nesimachus, family Nymphalidae, of Asia.

verb

To act as a constable or policeman.

Dated; Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English constable, cunstable, constabil, connestable, cunestable, from Old French conestable, from Latin comes stabulī (“officer of the stables”). For the sense-development; compare marshal. Doublet of connétable.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: constable, conestable, comes stabulī

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈkɑn.stə.bəl/
  • British English: /ˈkʌn.stə.bəl/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Law, People.

Inflected Forms

constables (plural) constables (present, singular) constabling (participle, present) constabled (participle, past) constabled (past)

Derived Forms

constablery constableship constabless constablewick constabulary cst. CST subconstable underconstable Constablesque

Phrases

assistant chief constable Burton Constable Constable Burton deputy chief constable hog constable Melton Constable outrun the constable overrun the constable

Frequently Paired Words

Burton Constable Constable Burton Melton Constable

Synonyms

police officer police constable

Questions

How do you pronounce constable?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɑn.stə.bəl/.
What does constable mean?
One holding the lowest rank in most Commonwealth police forces. (See also chief constable.)
Where does constable come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce constable

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “constable”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɑn.stə.bəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “constable”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “constable” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.