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

Speaking to reporters in the United Kingdom, assistant chief constable Chris Shead said they had no regrets.

From The Daily Beast

Victoria police spokesman Constable Mike Russell said the “demographic of that camp” has changed over the past couple of weeks.

From The Daily Beast

The florid brushwork of a Constable gets hypertrophied in Freud, into a kind of gross exaggeration of what unleashed paint can do.

From The Daily Beast

Stephen White, a former chief constable in Northern Ireland turned EU diplomat in Brussels and Iraq praised the report.

From The Daily Beast

In the morning, Ramesh came back, was told by a constable about Xerox, and said, "Shit, it wasn't a dream, then."

From The Daily Beast

“Oh, perhaps you mean Tower Street” said the constable, with a patronising smile.

From Project Gutenberg

The constable knew nothing of maiden ladies with a baby, but he directed him to Hope Cottage.

From Project Gutenberg

The disk of light disappeared, and the alert constable could be heard moving along the corridor to inspect the other offices.

From Project Gutenberg

The constable stared at the cadet for a moment and then his jaw dropped and likewise the club in his hand.

From Project Gutenberg

The constable nodded profoundly, and said, that if that wasnt law, he should be glad to know what was.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• detective
• patrolman
• policeman
• policewoman