constable

English

Etymology

From Middle English constable, cunstable, constabil, connestable, cunestable, from Old French conestable, from Latin comes stabulī (“officer of the stables”). For the sense-development; compare marshal. Doublet of connétable.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkʌnstəbəl/, /ˈkɒnstəbəl/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnstəbəl/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈkanstəbəl/

Noun

constable (plural constables)

1. One holding the lowest rank in most Commonwealth police forces. (See also chief constable.)
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.

2. (UK, law) A police officer or an officer with equivalent powers.
3. (historical) An officer of a noble court in the Middle Ages, usually a senior army commander. (See also marshal).
4. The warden of a castle.
5. (US) An elected or appointed public officer, usually at municipal level, responsible for maintaining order or serving writs and court orders.
6. (Channel Islands) An elected head of a parish (also known as a connétable)
7. A large butterfly, Dichorragia nesimachus, family Nymphalidae, of Asia.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:police officer

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

constable (third-person singular simple present constables, present participle constabling, simple past and past participle constabled)

1. (intransitive, dated) To act as a constable or policeman.

Anagrams

• balconets

French

Noun

constable m or f by sense (plural constables)

1. constable (police title)

Further reading

• “constable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.