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Glite Dictionary
posseman

posseman

9.9
A man who is part of a group that helps the police catch criminals
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑːsiˌmæn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : miembro de la posse
  • As a posseman, he felt a strong duty to protect his community.

Examples

  • The posseman led the group of volunteers in the search for the missing person.

  • During the raid, the posseman ensured that everyone followed the law.

  • "She was a posseman, not just the Badger's daughter.

    Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

policeman
vsposseman
303 1.0

A man whose job is to keep people safe and enforce laws

serves in a temporary group to catch criminals instead of regular police duties
lawman
vsposseman
  • US
28 6.5

A man who works to enforce the law, like a sheriff or police officer

is a temporary group member called to enforce laws rather than an official officer
patrolman
vsposseman
  • US
28 4.2

A police officer who walks around an area to keep people safe

is called into a temporary group to catch criminals instead of routine patrols
patroller
vsposseman
4 3.6

A person who checks an area regularly to keep it safe

joins a temporary group for law enforcement tasks rather than regular patrols
manhunter
vsposseman
1 7.0

A person who finds and catches criminals who are running away

serves temporarily in a group to catch criminals
militiaman
vsposseman
1 7.3

A person who trains part time to defend their local community when needed

is summoned briefly to help enforce law and capture criminals rather than military defence

How Official

sheriff
  • US
∞ 3.9
deputy
658 3.4
posseman
  • Archaic
9.9
volunteer
7 3.5
bystander
84 3.4

Surface Forms

posseman singular
possemen plural

Morphology

posseman = posse + man (transparent) = posse + man

The meaning is directly composed from 'posse' + 'man' where '-man' denotes a person who is a member of or associated with a posse.

Etymology

Posseman comes from posse, a short form of the old phrase posse comitatus meaning 'power of the county', used for a group the sheriff could call. So a posseman was a man asked to help catch criminals, which is why today it means a member of a group formed to enforce the law.