constable

con·sta·ble

noun \ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl, ˈkən(t)-\

Definition of CONSTABLE

1

: a high officer of a royal court or noble household especially in the Middle Ages

2

: the warden or governor of a royal castle or a fortified town

3

a : a public officer usually of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace and for minor judicial duties

b chiefly British : police officer; especially : one ranking below sergeant

Examples of CONSTABLE

1. <reported the crime to the local constable>

Origin of CONSTABLE

Middle English conestable, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin comes stabuli, literally, officer of the stable

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to CONSTABLE

Synonyms

bobby [British], bull [slang], officer [chiefly British], cop, copper, flatfoot [slang], fuzz, gendarme, lawman, policeman, police officer, shamus [slang]

Related Words

patrolman, policewoman; detective, dick, gumshoe, hawkshaw, inspector, investigator, plainclothesman, sherlock, sleuth, sleuthhound; marshal (also marshall), sheriff, trooper; peace officer; captain, lieutenant, sergeant; constabulary, heat [slang], man, police, police force; operative, private detective, private eye, private investigator

Near Antonyms

civilian

Con·sta·ble

biographical name \ˈkən(t)-stə-bəl, ˈkän(t)-\

Definition of CONSTABLE

John 1776–1837 Eng. painter