bailiff
/ˈbeɪlɪf/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.00 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
noun
noun
noun
Example Sentences
- "The Bailiff of Jersey is the President of the States and acts as Speaker of the Assembly in the Westminster tradition. He is responsible for the orderly conduct of the States Assembly and its business. As Presiding Officer he has the right of speech – which is mainly exercised for ensuring the orderly conduct of the proceedings – but he cannot vote."
- "Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: baillif, -, bailif, *bāiulivus, bāiulus
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
bailiff-errant
bailiff-haunted
bailiff-peer
bum-bailiff
bum bailiff
deputy bailiff
deputy high bailiff
farm bailiff