magistrate (majistrat)

[ Certes thow thyself ne myhtest nat ben browht with as man ye perils as thow myhtest suffren that thow wolden beren the magestrat with (?) Decor at. Chaucer, Boëthius, iii. prose 4. 2. An administrator of the law; one who po e es jurisdiction or executive authority in matters of civil government; an executive or judicial officer holding the power of decision and disposal in regard to subjects within his cognizance: as, a king is the first magistrate of a monarchy; in the United States the President is often called the chief magistrate; the magistrates of a state or city; civil or judicial magistrates. But the word is more particularly applied to subordinate officers to whom some part of execujudicial power is committed or delegated. We acknowledge that the civill magistrate weares an autority of Gods giving, and ought to be obey'd as his viceregent. Milton, Church-Government, i. 5. 3. Specifically, a minor judicial officer; a justice of the peace, or a police justice; in Scotland, a provost or a bailie of a burgh: as, to be brought before the bar of the local magistrate. - 4. In the New Testament, a Roman military governor or pretor. - Chief magistrate. See def. 2. -Committing magistrate. See committing. - Curule magistrate. See curule. - Stipendiary magistrates. See stipendiary. magistratic (maj-is-trat'ik), a. [ The war which a great people was waging... for the Lowell, Study Windows, p. 143.