magistrate
UK/'mædʒistreit/US
IELTSB2
Definitions
n.
A civil officer who administers the law, especially one who judges minor cases in a local court.
地方法官；治安法官。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin magister ('master, the greater one'), itself built on the 'great' root, + -rate (one holding an office). A magistrate is literally 'one in the master's role' — an official with authority. The role narrowed in English to a judge who handles minor legal cases.
Root maj still carries 25 more wordsWhy It Means This
Notice the family link hiding in plain sight: magister gave us both magistrate and master (and, by the same logic, the prefix in words like 'magisterial'). The common thread is 'the greater one' — the person ranked above the rest, hence the one in charge.
Common Collocations
- 1.a local magistrate地方法官
- 2.chief magistrate首席法官
- 3.magistrates' court地方治安法院
- 4.appear before a magistrate出庭受审于地方法官
Example Sentences
- 1.
The case was heard by a local magistrate.
- 2.
He was brought before the magistrate the next morning.