# attorney general

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The chief legal advisor to the government, overseeing legal affairs and ensuring that laws are uniformly and justly applied.

## Etymology
From Anglo-Norman and Law French, (modern French avocat général or procureur général), hence the unusual order of adjective following noun, instead of idiomatic English *general attorney. Compare court martial, notary public, secretary general, surgeon general.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/attorney-general