magistrate

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A 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.

2. 2
   noun

   A comparable official in medieval or modern institutions.

   Like other civil servants, Ashok Kumar started his career as an Assistant Collector cum Sub-divisional Magistrate.

3. 3
   noun

   a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses)

4. 4
   noun

   A high official of the state or a municipality in ancient Greece or Rome.

5. 5
   noun

   A master's degree.

Etymology

From Middle English magistrat, maiestrat (“magistrate; magistracy”), borrowed from Latin magistrātus. See also -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office).