Reeve

Pronunciation

• IPA: /riːv/
• Rhymes: -iːv

Old English rēfa, an aphetism of ġerēfa.

Full definition of reeve

Noun

1. (historical) Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.
• 1999 , Bede , The Ecclesiastical History of the English People Chapter , His first convert was the reeve of the city of Lincoln call Blæcca, ...
2. (Canada) The president of a township or municipal district council.
3. (military, historical) A proposed but unadopted commissioned rank of the Royal Air Force equivalent to wing commander.
• 1936, The Periodical (Oxford University Press), volumes 21–22, page 67A list of new titles was manufactured as follows: Ensign, Lieutenant, Flight-Leader, Squadron-Leader, Reeve, Banneret, Fourth-Ardian, Third-Ardian, Second-Ardian, Ardian, Air Marshal. … “Reeve”, perhaps, savoured a little too much of legal authority.

Verb

1. (nautical) To pass a rope through a hole or opening, especially so as to fasten it.

Noun

1. A female of the species Philomachus pugnax, a highly gregarious, medium-sized wading bird of Eurasia; the male is a ruff.