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Although many attribute an Arabic origin, an Anglo-Saxon etymology is the correct one. SHERIFF - Old English. "A sheriff is etymologically a 'shire-reeve,' that is a 'county official.' The term was compounded in the old English period from 'scir,' ancestor of modern English 'shire,' and 'gerefa,' 'local official, a word based on 'rof' 'assembly' which survives as the historical term 'reeve.' It was used for the 'monarch's representative in a county.'" From the "Dictionary of Word Origins: the Histories of More Than 8,000 English-Language Words" by John Ayto (Arcade Publishing, New York, 1990).

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16y ago

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