constable

¹

[ kon-stuh-buhlor, especially British, kuhn- ]

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.

Constable

²

[ kuhn-stuh-buhl, kon- ]

noun

1. John, 1776–1837, English painter.

Constable

¹

/ ˈkʌnstəbəl /

noun

1. ConstableJohn17761837MEnglishARTS AND CRAFTS: painter John. 1776–1837, English landscape painter, noted particularly for his skill in rendering atmospheric effects of changing light

constable

²

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈconstableˌship, noun

Other Words From

• consta·ble·ship noun
• under·consta·ble noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of constable¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of constable¹

C13: from Old French, from Late Latin comes stabulī officer in charge of the stable, from Latin comes comrade + stabulum dwelling, stable; see also count ²

Example Sentences

The officer, a constable aged in his thirties, was arrested on Tuesday in Gloucestershire by counterterrorism police, who said the suspected support "relates to activity online".

From BBC

Murphy later said he was "happy to accept" the chief constable's view.

From BBC

"It's simple, really. We liked the way things were four years ago," said Samuel Negron, a Pennsylvania state constable and member of the large Puerto Rican community in the city of Allentown.

From BBC

Most of those who lost their jobs were constables.

From BBC

The police constable said he could connect the defendant to the case.

From BBC

Related Words

• detective
• patrolman
• policeman
• policewoman