bailie

[ bey-lee ]

/ ˈbeɪ li /

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noun

(in Scotland) a municipal officer or magistrate, corresponding to an English alderman.

Obsolete. bailiff.

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SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

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Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of bailie

1250–1300; Middle English baillie<Old French bailli, variant of baillifbailiff

OTHER WORDS FROM bailie

sub·bail·ie, noun

Words nearby bailie

bail bondsman, Baile Átha Cliath, bailee, bailey, Bailey bridge, bailie, bailiff, bailiwick, Baillie, bailment, bailor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bailie in a sentence

The Bailie and those of the garrison, some three or four hundred, guard the gates, and forbid their being opened.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France
Haud off there, varlet, ken ye not that I am a Bailie of Dumfries?
The Black Douglas|S. R. Crockett
"Siller in hand is the greatest virtue of a buyer," said the Bailie, with unction.
The Black Douglas|S. R. Crockett
The Bailie of Dumfries lifted up his hands in consternation.
The Black Douglas|S. R. Crockett

"Wear a thick doublet, good Henry, or do not speak so loud," reiterated the bailie in the same significant tone.
The Fair Maid of Perth|Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for bailie

bailie

/ (ˈbeɪlɪ) /

noun

(in Scotland) a municipal magistrate

an obsolete or dialect spelling of bailiff

Word Origin for bailie

C13: from Old French bailli, from earlier baillif bailiff

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012