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Glite Dictionary
bailie

bailie

1 9.9
A Scottish town official who helps run the council and makes local legal decisions
  • noun
  • /ˈbeɪli/
  • UK
translation icon : bailie
  • Senior Bailie Sparks confesses, "I bought one of those Polo dresses because Polo is such a big deal, and it's a name brand that everyone supposedly wears."
  • Bailie Alston

Examples

  • " For here lies Bailie William Watson / Who was famous for his thinking / And moderation in his drinking.'

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I live by Gil Bailie's words: "Do not ask yourself what the world needs."

    Blog text (3)

  • The bailie said, 'My lords!'

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Nicholas said, 'The bailie's men are coming.'

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The Burgundian had once made the bailie a very fine profit in cod.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Bailie is eventually sentenced to 36 years in federal prison, with a release date of 2027.

    Blog text (13)

  • They were given horses and cloaks and some temporary patching until the bailie's own household could tend to them.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Thomas Yare was bailie and chamberlain of the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the River Tweed was the frontier with England, which meant that one did not bellow sensitive news, even now, in times of miraculous peace.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The bailie presided over the meeting to discuss local community issues.

  • As the town's bailie, she was responsible for maintaining public order.

Synonyms

magistrate
vsbailie
63 7.2

A local official who hears small legal cases and decides on minor crimes or disputes

is a local town official combining council and minor judicial tasks
recorder
vsbailie
  • UK
7 9.0

A lawyer who acts as a part-time judge in some UK towns

is a municipal official with council and local judicial responsibilities
baillie
vsbailie
  • UK
9.9

A town official in Scotland who helps run the council and deals with small legal matters

is the same Scottish town officer term often spelled differently
stipendiary magistrate
vsbailie
  • Archaic
9.9

A paid professional judge in Britain who deals with minor crimes and police cases

is a locally based town officer combining council duties with minor justice roles
avoyer
vsbailie
  • Archaic
9.9

A medieval official in Swiss towns who led the town council

is a Scottish municipal officer tied to Scottish towns rather than Swiss history

Surface Forms

bailie singular
bailies plural

Etymology

Bailie comes from an old French word bailli, the same root as the English bailiff, which meant 'to look after' or 'manage'. So a bailie is a town officer who helped run the town and keep order in the community.