sheriff

Alternative forms

• shrieve (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English shirreve, from Old English scīrġerēfa, corresponding to shire +‎ reeve. There is no etymological connection to Sharif, an Arabic word with the same meaning that has various cognates in other languages like Hindi, Urdu, etc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛɹɪf/, /ˈʃɛɹəf/

Noun

sheriff (plural sheriffs)

1. (Britain, except Scotland) (High Sheriff) An official of a shire or county office, responsible for carrying out court orders, law enforcement and other duties.
2. (Scotland) A judge in the sheriff court, the court of a county or sheriffdom.
3. (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)

1. To carry out the duties of a sheriff

Anagrams

• Shiffer

Etymology

Borrowed from English sheriff.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈ(t)ʃe.ɾif/

Noun

sheriff m (plural sheriffs)

1. sheriff (all senses)