constable

¹ American  

[kon-stuh-buhl, kuhn-] / ˈkɒn stə bəl, ˈkʌn- /

noun

1. an officer of the peace, having police and minor judicial functions, usually in a small town, rural district, etc.

2. Chiefly British. a police officer.

3. an officer of high rank in medieval monarchies, usually the commander of all armed forces, especially in the absence of the ruler.

4. the keeper or governor of a royal fortress or castle.

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Constable ² American  

[kuhn-stuh-buhl, kon-] / ˈkʌn stə bəl, ˈkɒn- /

noun

1. John, 1776–1837, English painter.

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constable ¹ British  

/ ˌkɒn-, ˈkʌnstəbəl /

noun

1. (in Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc) a police officer of the lowest rank

2. any of various officers of the peace, esp one who arrests offenders, serves writs, etc

3. the keeper or governor of a royal castle or fortress

4. (in medieval Europe) the chief military officer and functionary of a royal household, esp in France and England

5. an officer of a hundred in medieval England, originally responsible for raising the military levy but later assigned other administrative duties

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Constable ² British  

/ ˈkʌnstəbəl /

noun

1. John. 1776–1837, English landscape painter, noted particularly for his skill in rendering atmospheric effects of changing light

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Other Word Forms

• constableship noun
• underconstable noun

Etymology

Origin of constable

1200–50; Middle English conestable < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin comes stabulī count ² of the stable ¹

Example Sentences

Yet Edward’s recollection is vague and doesn’t jibe with the observations of his doctor and the local constable.

From The Wall Street Journal

The second officer, constable Scott Dyson, underwent further surgery this morning and is in a critical but stable condition, Lanyon added.

From BBC

Jon Boutcher, Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable, says he thinks that MI5 has an issue with its approach to legacy cases in Northern Ireland and that things must change.

From BBC

Mike O'Hara, West Midlands' assistant chief constable, made the comments on Monday while giving evidence about the controversial decision to ban Maccabi fans from the Europa League game against Aston Villa in November.

From BBC

Current South Yorkshire Police chief constable Lauren Poultney said she was "deeply sorry for the pain and heartbreak caused" by the force's "litany of failures".

From BBC

Related Words

• detective
• patrolman
• policeman
• policewoman