reeve
Meaning
-
- Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.
- The president of a township or municipal district council.
- The holder of a proposed but unadopted commissioned rank of the Royal Air Force, equivalent to wing commander.
Synonyms
stick on
chief magistrate
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ɹiːv/
Etymology
From Middle English reve, from Old English rēfa, an aphetism of ġerēfa (also groefa), from Proto-West Germanic *garāfijō (“officer, official”). Compare Danish greve, Swedish greve, Dutch graaf, German Graf. The role, and eventually the word, was mostly replaced by bailiff, of Anglo-Norman origin.
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Notes