bailiwick

noun

bai·​li·​wick ˈbā-li-ˌwik 

-lē-

1

law enforcement : the office or jurisdiction of a bailiff (see bailiff sense 1a)

2

: the sphere in which one has superior knowledge or authority : a special domain (see domain sense 4)

… concerns at the spy agency that the Pentagon is intruding into its traditional bailiwick.

—Scott Shane and Mark Mazzetti

Did you know?

The first half of the word bailiwick comes from the Middle English word for "bailiff"—in this case, a term referring to a sheriff or chief officer of a town in medieval England, not the officer who assists today in U.S. courtrooms. Bailiff comes, via Anglo-French, from the Medieval Latin verb bajulare, meaning "to care for" or "to support." The second half of bailiwick comes from wik, a Middle English word for "dwelling place" or "village," which ultimately hails from the Latin word vicus, meaning "village." (This root is also thought to have given English -wich and -wick, suffixes used in place names like Norwich and Warwick.) Although bailiwick dates from the 15th century, the "special domain of knowledge" sense we use most often today did not appear in English until the middle of the 19th century.

Synonyms

• area
• arena
• barony
• business
• circle
• demesne
• department
• discipline
• domain
• element
• fief
• fiefdom
• field
• firmament
• front
• game
• kingdom
• line
• precinct
• province
• realm
• specialty
• sphere
• terrain
• walk

Examples of bailiwick in a Sentence

questions about organization of the fund drive are my bailiwick

Recent Examples on the Web

These days lots of other folks are stepping into this West Queens bailiwick, drawn by qualities that include a burgeoning foo d scene, a location highly proximate to Manhattan, a beguiling history and most of all, Astoria’s comparative affordability vis-à-vis neighboring districts. —Jeffrey Steele, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

As this column is focused on geostrategic affairs, the possible explanation falls into its bailiwick. —Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024

How can the speaker expect New Yorkers to even consider her plan to add 21 commissioners, from Parks to Sanitation to Health to Transportation, to the confirmation test, when one of the most important posts that is already in the Council’s bailiwick is not getting fair consideration? —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 May 2024

And for all the deserved flack first-year defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has received this season, coordinating a secondary to handle long-developing plays in zone coverage is his bailiwick. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English baillifwik, from baillif + wik dwelling place, village, from Old English wīc, from Latin vicus village — more at vicinity

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bailiwick

• actinic
• agnatic
• bolshevik
• candlestick
• chloritic
• deontic
• firebrick
• herpetic
• judaic
• lunatic
• orthotic
• politic

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

bailiwick

noun

bai·​li·​wick

ˈbā-li-ˌwik

: one's area of special interest or expertise