constable

noun

con·​sta·​ble ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl  ˈkən(t)- 

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

Synonyms

• bobby [British]
• bull [slang]
• cop
• copper
• flatfoot [slang]
• fuzz
• gendarme
• lawman
• officer
• police officer
• policeman
• shamus [slang]

Examples of constable in a Sentence

reported the crime to the local constable

Recent Examples on the Web

The arrest is the latest legal trouble against Hatch, who faces numerous charges following an extensive investigation by police into the constable’s office that also saw numerous deputy constables arrested. —Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Oct. 2024

The Statesman's examination of dispatch logs revealed that county constables have been providing overnight and weekend protection to Garza’s home since February — a security force mobilized within days of the posting of his address on social media. —Tony Plohetski, Austin American-Statesman, 24 Sep. 2024

The constable in the village announced that the Germans were searching for Jews, so Hendrik hid my mother and I in a shack in the forest. —Linda Chase, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2024

Kenneth Allen has resigned from the Indianapolis Public Schools board starting immediately after being elected to be the next Center Township constable last week. —Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Nov. 2024

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

Phrases Containing constable

• chief constable
• police constable

Kids Definition

constable

noun

con·​sta·​ble ˈkän(t)-stə-bəl  ˈkən(t)- 

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- 

: 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 

ˈkän(t)-

John 1776–1837 English painter