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What is a bailiff?

What is a bailiff? Here are some definitions.

Noun
  1. (law enforcement) An officer of the court, particularly:
    1. (Norman) A reeve, (specifically) the chief officer executing the decisions of any English court in the period following the Norman Conquest or executing the decisions of lower courts in the late medieval and early modern period.
    2. (Britain) A high bailiff: an officer of the county courts responsible for executing warrants and court orders, appointed by the judge and removable by the Lord Chancellor.
    3. (Britain) A bound bailiff: a deputy bailiff charged with debt collection.
    4. (US, colloquial) Any law enforcement officer charged with courtroom security and order.
    5. A huissier de justice or other foreign officer of the court acting as either a process server or as courtroom security.
  2. A public administrator, particularly:
    1. (obsolete) A king's man: any officer nominated by the English Crown.
    2. (historical) The chief officer of a hundred in medieval England.
    3. The title of the mayor of certain English towns.
    4. The title of the castellan of certain royal castles in England.
    5. The chief justice and president of the legislature on Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands.
    6. The High Bailiff of the Isle of Man.
    7. (obsolete) A bailie: an alderman in certain Scottish towns.
    8. (historical) An appointee of the French king administering certain districts of northern France in the Middle Ages.
    9. (historical) A head of a district ("bailiwick") of the Knights Hospitaller; a head of one of the national associations ("tongues") of the Hospitallers' headquarters on Rhodes or Malta.
    10. (historical) A landvogt in the medieval German states.
  3. A private administrator, particularly
    1. (historical) A steward: the manager of a medieval manor charged with collecting its rents, etc.
    2. (historical) An overseer: a supervisor of tenant farmers, serfs, or slaves, usually as part of his role as steward (see above).
    3. (historical, mining) The foreman or overman of a mine.
  4. (Britain, slang) Any debt collector, regardless of his or her official status.
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Examples
A bogus bailiff is conning youngsters out of their hard earned pocket money, it was claimed today.
The charter also granted one bailiff the powers of king's escheator, with any fines or revenues from escheated goods going towards the farm.
The court customary was the court for unfree tenants or villeins and was presided over by the lord's steward or bailiff.
Speaking as a former bailiff in the region, I can assure you that many island crofters prefer the use of a gill net to a fishing rod.
No constable or bailiff can knock at the door and demand entry so as to inspect papers or documents.
Ben, you see, has been promised a job as the water bailiff if they get planning permission to turn the quarry into a trout fishery.

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