quarter sessions
plural noun
: a former English local court with limited original and appellate criminal and sometimes civil jurisdiction and often administrative functions held quarterly usually by two justices of the peace in a county or by a recorder in a borough
Examples of quarter sessions in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Critics have called for the office to be abolished and its functions picked up by the courts, in the same way that the position of clerk of quarter sessions was ended in 2010.
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Craig R. McCoy, Philly.com, 3 Apr. 2018
Craig R. McCoy, Philly.com, 3 Apr. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quarter sessions.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1538, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near quarter sessions
Cite this Entry
“Quarter sessions.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarter%20sessions. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on quarter sessions
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about quarter sessions
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