English word sheriff comes from Old English (ca. 450-1100) scirgerefa (sheriff, chief officer of a shire), which comes from the Old English words scīr (shire - an administrative unit) and gerēfa (reeve - a local official)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| scīr | Old English (ca. 450-1100) (ang) | Shire. (UK, colloquial) The general area in which a person lives, used in the context of travel within the UK.. A rural or outer suburban local government area of Australia.. A shire horse.. Former administrative area of Britain; a county.. Physical area administered by a sheriff. To (re)constitute as one or more shires or counties. |
| gerēfa | Old English (ca. 450-1100) (ang) | Reeve. (historical) Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.. (military, historical) A proposed but unadopted commissioned rank of the Royal Air Force equivalent to wing commander. A female of the species Philomachus [...] |
| scirgerefa | Old English (ca. 450-1100) (ang) | Sheriff, chief officer of a shire. |
| sheriff | English (en) | (British, except Scotland) (High Sheriff) An official of a shire or county office, responsible for carrying out court orders, law enforcement and other duties.. (Scotland) A judge in the sheriff court, the court of a county or sheriffdom.. (US) A government official, usually responsible for law enforcement in his county and for administration of the county jail, sometimes an officer of the [...] |