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

Each court has one justice of the peace and one constable. —Jimmy Jenkins, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

Then the constable arrested two township employees. —Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Nov. 2024

Harvie says there aren't enough constables to staff each of Bucks' 203 polling locations, so police are prepared to respond to emergencies. —Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 23 Oct. 2024

Friction point: Because of a state law that requires law enforcement officers to remain more than 100 feet from a polling center, counties rely on constables as a first line of defense. —Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 23 Oct. 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