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reeve

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reeve¹

  • /ɹiːv/

Sounds like reave, (th-fronting) rethe, wreathe · Rhymes with -iːv

Where it comes from

From Middle English reve, from Old English rēfa, an aphetism of ġerēfa (also grœ̄fa), from Proto-West Germanic *garāfijō (“officer, official”). Compare Danish greve, Swedish greve, Dutch graaf, German Graf.

The role, and eventually the word, was mostly replaced by bailiff, of Anglo-Norman origin.

noun reeves · reve

  1. historical Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities. His first convert was the reeve of the city of Lincoln called Blæcca, ...

    Similar: provost

  2. Canada The president of a township or municipal district council.
  3. historical The holder of a proposed but unadopted commissioned rank of the Royal Air Force, equivalent to wing commander. A 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.

reeve²

  • /ɹiːv/

Sounds like reave, (th-fronting) rethe, wreathe · Rhymes with -iːv

Where it comes from

Apparent alternative form of reef (“to pull or yank strongly”, verb) or from Dutch reven (“to take in, insert”).

verb reeves · reeving · reeved · rove

  1. dialectal To pass (a rope) through a hole or opening, especially so as to fasten it. "Let the rope go," he says. With his other hand he reaches down and reeves the two turns from the stanchion.

reeve³

  • /ɹiːv/

Sounds like reave, (th-fronting) rethe, wreathe · Rhymes with -iːv

Where it comes from

Variant of dialectal ree, but of obscure ultimate origin.

noun reeves

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

Reeve⁴

  • /ɹiːv/

Where it comes from

* As an English surname, from the noun reeve.

* As an Irish surname, variant of Reeves.

proper noun

  1. A surname originating as an occupation for a bailiff.
  2. An unincorporated community in Vance Creek, Barron County, Wisconsin, United States.

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MLA

"reeve." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/reeve. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

reeve. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/reeve

Chicago

"reeve." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/reeve.

BibTeX
@misc{reeve_2026,
  title = {reeve},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/reeve},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}