Sherifs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An official or governmental representative tasked with maintaining law and order in a specific jurisdiction
2. A person who holds the authority to enforce the law and oversee local policing responsibilities
3. A local leader responsible for the administration of justice and the safety of the community

Etymology: "Sherifs" is the plural of "sherif," a variant spelling of "sheriff." Because the word itself is an alternate spelling rather than a separate term, its story is that of "sheriff": an Old English compound meaning "shire reeve," where a shire was a county and a reeve an official, so the title originally named the officer who ran a shire on the king's behalf. The spelling "sherif" is the form that the Arabic-derived title "sharif," meaning a noble descended from the Prophet Muhammad, is often written as, which is a different word with a separate history.

Synonyms: sheriff