portreeve

P3O1R1T1R1E1E1V4E1

noun

A borough-reeve: an office equivalent to a mayor (historical) in several major English towns or (dialect) in various minor boroughs of Wales and Southwest England.

OriginMiddle English portereve ← Old English portġerēfa →
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Meanings

nounportreeve (plural portreeves)

plural portreeves · alternative port-reeve · alternative portgreve · alternative portgrave

  1. A borough-reeve: an office equivalent to a mayor (historical) in several major English towns or (dialect) in various minor boroughs of Wales and Southwest England.

    Instead of the portgreve [of London], Richard the first ordained two bailiffs, but presently after him King John granted them a mayor for their yearly magistrate.

    1772, Jacob's Law Dictionary
  2. historicalA municipal office subordinate to a mayor, (especially) a bailiff.
  3. historicalA port reeve, a port warden.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
mayorportgraveportgreve

Origin

  1. Old Englishportġerēfa
  2. Middle Englishportereve
  3. Englishportreeve

From Middle English portereve, portereve, from Old English portġerēfa, from port (“a walled market town”) + ġerēfa (“reeve”). By surface analysis, port + reeve.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

portreeve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portreeve

MLA

“portreeve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portreeve. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “portreeve,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portreeve.

Source: portreeve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.