constable

noun

con·​sta·​ble ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl How to pronounce constable (audio) ˈkən(t)- How to pronounce constable (audio)
1
: a high officer of a royal court or noble household especially in the Middle Ages
2
: the warden or governor of a royal castle or a fortified town
3
a
: a public officer usually of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace and for minor judicial duties
b
chiefly British : police officer
especially : one ranking below sergeant

Examples of constable in a Sentence

reported the crime to the local constable
Recent Examples on the Web Hanson currently serves as a deputy constable for Precinct 3. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 Police said in a statement that the off-duty officer charged was a senior constable attached to a specialist command. Chris Lau, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024 One of Pawlet’s two constables moved toward Banyai, as if to escort him out. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023 At any rate, the local chocolate cartel is determined to freeze Willy out, with the help of a corrupt constable (Keegan-Michael Key). Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 15 Dec. 2023 Making police matters even more confusing (and funny) are the assists Dulcie and Eddie get from junior constable Abby (Nina Oyama) and noted slacker Sven (Tom Ballard). Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 25 Dec. 2023 With a malignant tumor on his lung removed, Jenkins is still working as a constable. Margaret Fleming, ProPublica, 1 Nov. 2023 The agenda includes reviewing and voting on filing fees for county offices, city, constables and committee membership for the 2024 Election Cycle and to vote on election commissioners, according to a news release. Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2023 This constable is a total clod, but the nursing home manager is extremely stupid for calling the police. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'constable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English conestable, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin comes stabuli, literally, officer of the stable

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of constable was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near constable

const

constable

Constable

Cite this Entry

“Constable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constable. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

constable

noun
con·​sta·​ble ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl How to pronounce constable (audio) ˈkən(t)- How to pronounce constable (audio)
1
: a high officer of a royal court or noble household in the Middle Ages
2
: the person in charge of a royal castle or a town
3
: a police officer usually of a village or small town
Etymology

Middle English conestable "chief military or police officer of a court or royal domain," from early French conestable (same meaning), from Latin comes stabuli, literally, "officer of the stables," from comes "companion, member of a royal court" and stabuli, genitive of stabulum "stable" — related to count entry 3, stable entry 1

Word Origin
A constable in the Middle Ages was a very important official in a court, even though the title meant "officer of the stable." Early French conestable came from the Latin phrase comes stabuli, meaning "officer of the stable." Being in charge of a ruler's horses in those days was something like being in charge of all the vehicles—tanks, trucks, airplanes, helicopters—of a modern army. As time went on, the title remained, but it came to describe the person in charge of guarding a castle or fortified city. From this idea came the modern sense: "a police officer."

Legal Definition

constable

noun
con·​sta·​ble ˈkän-stə-bəl, ˈkən- How to pronounce constable (audio)
: a public officer usually of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace and for minor judicial duties
Etymology

Old French conestable military commander, chief of the royal household, from Late Latin comes stabuli, literally, officer of the stable

Biographical Definition

Constable

biographical name

Con·​sta·​ble ˈkən(t)-stə-bəl How to pronounce Constable (audio)
ˈkän(t)-
John 1776–1837 English painter

More from Merriam-Webster on constable

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