Magistrate Meaning
/ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪˌstɹeɪt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA 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.
nounA high official of the state or a municipality in ancient Greece or Rome.
Sentence Examples
Obscenity is whatever happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate.
The magistrate disqualified himself from hearing the case because of a conflict of interest.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The legal official who presides over minor criminal cases is called a ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ presided over the local court and was responsible for hearing a variety of different cases today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English magistrat, maiestrat (“magistrate; magistracy”), borrowed from Latin magistrātus. See also -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1821, Thomas De Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The legal official who presides over minor criminal cases is called a ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ presided over the local court and was responsible for hearing a variety of different cases today.