Etymology

alguazil

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Today it means: An officer of the law in Spain or Latin America. Full definition →

First used 16th c.Early Modern Spanish and Portuguese alguazil ← Arabic اَلْوَزِير
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The story

  1. Arabic · derived fromاَلْوَزِير“minister, vizier”
  2. Early Modern Spanish and Portuguese · borrowed fromalguazil
  3. English todayalguazil

From Early Modern Spanish and Portuguese alguazil, from Arabic اَلْوَزِير (al-wazīr, “minister, vizier”). Doublet of vizier and wazir.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 16th c. An officer of the law in Spain or Latin America.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.