portreeve
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English port-reve etc., from Old English portgerēfa etc., from port (“a walled market town”) + gerēfa (“reeve”).
Noun
editportreeve (plural portreeves)
- A borough-reeve: an office equivalent to a mayor (historical) in several major English towns or (dialect) in various minor boroughs of Wales and Southwest England.
- (historical) A municipal office subordinate to a mayor, (especially) a bailiff.
- (historical) A port reeve, a port warden.
Derived terms
editReferences
edit- Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. "portreeve, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2006.