Added 9 October 2026
sheriff
/ˈʃɛɹɪf/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sheriff at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The principal law-enforcement officer in a county.
Origin
Inherited from Middle English shirreve, in turn inherited from Old English sċīrġerēfa, corresponding to shire + reeve. There is no etymological connection to sharif (Arabic شَرِيف (šarīf)), an Arabic title of honour with cognates in other languages, including Persian, Punjabi, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)