bailiff
/ˈbeɪlɪf/noun
bailiff is spelled B-A-I-L-I-F-F: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bailiff means “A reeve, (specifically) the chief officer executing the decisions of any English court in the period following the Norman Conquest or executing the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bailiff is bailiffs.
How many letters and syllables are in bailiff?
| Letters | 7: B-A-I-L-I-F-F |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bailiff?
Bailiff appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bailiff?
- /ˈbeɪlɪf/
Bailiff has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-bailiff.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bailiff
- bailiffs plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bailiff mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
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
UKA 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
UKA bound bailiff: a deputy bailiff charged with debt collection.
- 4
USAny 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.
- 6
obsoleteA king's man: any officer nominated by the English Crown.
- 7
Synonym of hundredman: The chief officer of a hundred in medieval England.
- 8
The title of the mayor of certain English towns.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bailiff in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense equivalent officers of the court in foreign contexts:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | huissier, huissier de justice |
| German | Gerichtsvollzieher, Büttel, Häscher |
| Portuguese | oficial de justiça, meirinho |
| Spanish | alguacil |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bailiff come from?
From Middle English baillif, baylyf, from Anglo-Norman and Old French bailif (plural bailis), probably from Vulgar Latin *bāiulivus (“castellan”), from Latin bāiulus (“porter; steward”), whence also bail. As a translation of foreign titles, semantic loan from French bailli, Scots bailie, Dutch baljuw, etc. Mostly replaced the role of native reeve. Doublet of bailo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).