Magistrate
//ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪˌstɹeɪt// noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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."
- 2 a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses) wordnet
- 3 A high official of the state or a municipality in ancient Greece or Rome. historical
- 4 A comparable official in medieval or modern institutions. broadly
"Like other civil servants, Ashok Kumar started his career as an Assistant Collector cum Sub-divisional Magistrate."
- 5 A master's degree. Quebec
Example
More examples"Obscenity is whatever happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate."
Etymology
From Middle English magistrat, maiestrat (“magistrate; magistracy”), borrowed from Latin magistrātus. See also -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office).
Related phrases
More for "magistrate"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.