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. 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of quarter sessions was in 1538

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 26 Apr. 2024.

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