magistrate
noun/ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪˌstɹeɪt/ · /ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪ.stɹɪt/
Etymology From Middle English magistrat, maiestrat (“magistrate; magistracy”), borrowed from Latin magistrātus. See also -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office).
1
Law A judicial officer with limited authority to administer and enforce the law. A magistrate's court may have jurisdiction in civil or criminal cases, or both.
- In any case, however, I saw that part of her injuries might easily have been redressed, and I urged her often and earnestly to lay her complaint before a magistrate.1821, Thomas De Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater:
2
Historical A high official of the state or a municipality in ancient Greece or Rome.
3
Broadly A comparable official in medieval or modern institutions.
- Like other civil servants, Ashok Kumar started his career as an Assistant Collector cum Sub-divisional Magistrate.
4
Quebec A master's degree.
- Synonyms
- justiciary, master's degree
- Derived terms
- chief magistrate, committing magistrate, examining magistrate, Glasgow magistrate, magistracy, magistrates' court, magistrateship, magistratic, magistratical, police magistrate, unmagistrate