Shrieval

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈʃɹiːvəl/

Definitions

1. Pertaining to the duties, office, or jurisdiction of a sheriff
2. Connected with the responsibilities or authority of a sheriff in law enforcement
3. Associated with the position and functions of a sheriff, such as maintaining law and order

Etymology: "Shrieval" is formed from "shrieve" (an older form of "sheriff") plus the adjective suffix "-al". The base word goes back to Old English "scīrgerēfa", from "scīr" (shire, a district) and "gerēfa" (reeve, an official who presided over it). The compound's shape is transparent once you see it: a sheriff was originally the king's officer in charge of a shire. The shortened form "scirgerefa" wore down over the centuries into "shreve" and then "shrieve", which survived as a verb meaning "to act as sheriff" and as the root of this adjective. The adjective is largely confined to legal and historical writing, where it describes things belonging to a sheriff's office, such as "shrieval duties" or "the shrieval jurisdiction." The word is used in England, where the office of High Sheriff still exists in ceremonial form, and it appears less often in discussions of the American sheriff, whose role developed separately from the same English model.