Meanings
plural magistrates
- lawA 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.
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-EaterSynonyms: justiciary
- historicalA high official of the state or a municipality in ancient Greece or Rome.
- broadlyA comparable official in medieval or modern institutions.
Like other civil servants, Ashok Kumar started his career as an Assistant Collector cum Sub-divisional Magistrate.
Synonyms & antonyms
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 master's degree.
Origin
- Latinmagistrātus
- Middle Englishmagistrat, maiestrat“magistrate; magistracy”
- Englishmagistrate
From Middle English magistrat, maiestrat (“magistrate; magistracy”), borrowed from Latin magistrātus. See also -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office).
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian съдия, магистрат
- съдия (sădija)judicial officer
- магистрат (magistrat)judicial officer
Chinese Mandarin 地方法官, 裁判官
- 地方法官 (dìfāng fǎguān)judicial officer
- 裁判官 (cáipànguān)judicial officer
- 推事 (tuīshì)judicial officer
Dutch magistraat
- magistraatjudicial officer
Esperanto magistrato
- magistratojudicial officer
Estonian magistraat
- magistraatjudicial officer
Finnish maistraatti
- maistraattijudicial officer
French magistrat
- magistratjudicial officer
German Richter, Friedensrichter
- Richterjudicial officer
- Friedensrichterjudicial officer
- Magistratjudicial officer
Greek δικαστής
- δικαστής (dikastís)judicial officer
Hindi मजिस्ट्रेट
- मजिस्ट्रेट (majisṭreṭ)judicial officer
Hungarian rendőrbíró, békebíró
- rendőrbírójudicial officer
- békebírójudicial officer
- bírójudicial officer
- elöljárójudicial officer
- magisztrátushigh official Greece / Rome
Indonesian magistrat
- magistratjudicial officer
Italian magistrato
- magistratojudicial officer
Japanese 治安判事
- 治安判事 (chi'an-hanji)judicial officer
Latin magistratus
- magistratusjudicial officer
Malay majistret
- majistretjudicial officer
Māori kaiwhakawā
- kaiwhakawājudicial officer
Norwegian Bokmål magistrat
- magistrathigh official Greece / Rome
Polish magistrat, magistrat
- magistratjudicial officer
- magistrathigh official Greece / Rome
Portuguese magistrado
- magistradojudicial officer
Romanian magistrat
- magistratjudicial officer
Russian судья́
- судья́ (sudʹjá)judicial officer
Scottish Gaelic bàillidh
- bàillidhjudicial officer
Spanish magistrado, togado
- magistradojudicial officer
- togadojudicial officer
- podestájudicial officer
Swahili hakimu
- hakimujudicial officer
Swedish magistrat
- magistratjudicial officer
Tagalog mahistrado
- mahistradojudicial officer
Tamil ஆட்சியர்
- ஆட்சியர் (āṭciyar)judicial officer
Turkish sulh hakimi
- sulh hakimijudicial officer
Welsh ynad
- ynadjudicial officer
Cite this entry
magistrate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magistrate
“magistrate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magistrate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “magistrate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magistrate.
Source: magistrate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.