magistrate
/ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪˌstɹeɪt/ noun
Forms magistrates
- noun (law) A judicial officer with limited authority to administer and enforce the law. A magistrate's court may have jurisdiction in civil or criminal cases, or both.
- noun (historical) A high official of the state or a municipality in ancient Greece or Rome.
- noun (by extension) A comparable official in medieval or modern institutions. “Like other civil servants, Ashok Kumar started his career as an Assistant Collector cum Sub-divisional Magistrate.”
- noun (Quebec) A master's degree.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English magistrat, maiestrat (“magistrate; magistracy”), borrowed from Latin magistrātus. See also -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A person clothed with power as a public civil officer; a public civil officer invested with the executive government, or some branch of it. "All Christian rulers and magistrates." Book of Com. Prayer.
Etymology [L. magistratus, fr. magister master: cf. F. magistrat. See Master.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “magistrate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details