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A chief magistrate of a municipal town in Holland, Flanders, and Germany, corresponding to mayor in England and the United States; a burghmaster.

An inferior magistrate or judge among the Mohammedans, usually the judge of a town or village.

One of two magistrates of Rome who took a register of the number and property of citizens, and who also exercised the office of inspector of morals and conduct.

An official seat, as of a chief magistrate or a judge, but esp. that of a professor; hence, the office itself. The chair of a philosophical school. Whewell. A chair of philology. M. Arnold.

certain office or duty; as, in the miserable character of a slave; in his character as a magistrate; her character as a daughter.

An official having charge of a hsien, or administrative district, in China; a district magistrate, responsible for good order in his hsien (which see), and having jurisdiction in its civil and criminal cases.

ess of converting metal into money. The care of the coinage was committed to the inferior magistrates. Arbuthnot.

One of the two chief magistrates of the republic.

The chief magistrate of a Spanish town.

rine or discipline. -- Executive council, a body of men elected as advisers of the chief magistrate, whether of a State or the nation. [U.S.] -- Legislative council, the upper house of a legislature, usually called the senate. -- Privy council. See under Privy. [Eng.]

A member of council; one appointed to advise a sovereign or chief magistrate.

ncouragement. Thou hast made him . . . glad with thy countenance. Ps. xxi. 6. This is the magistrate's peculiar province, to give countenance to piety and virtue, and to rebuke vice. Atterbury.

the privilege to be a county by itself, and to be governed by its own sheriffs and other magistrates, irrespective of the officers of the county in which it is situated; as London, York, Bristol, etc. [Eng.] Mozley & W. -- County court, a court whose jurisdiction is limited to county. -- County palatine, a county di…

British Empire not having an elective magistracy or a parliament, but governed by a chief magistrate (called Governor) appointed by the Crown, with executive councilors nominated by him and not elected by the people.

Of or pertaining to a kind of chair appropriated to Roman magistrates and dignitaries; pertaining to, having, or conferring, the right to sit in the curule chair; hence, official.

Given by a magistrate, as distinguished from being cast upon a party by the law. Burril. Bouvier. Dative executor, one appointed by the judge of probate, his office answering to that of an administrator.

bishop. Dean of cathedral church, the chief officer of a chapter; he is an ecclesiastical magistrate next in degree to bishop, and has immediate charge of the cathedral and its estates. -- Dean of peculiars, a dean holding a preferment which has some peculiarity relative to spiritual superiors and the jurisdiction exe…

One of a body of ten magistrates in ancient Rome.

to set at defiance; to treat with contempt; as, to defy an enemy; to defy the power of a magistrate; to defy the arguments of an opponent; to defy public opinion. I once again Defy thee to the trial of mortal fight. Milton. I defy the enemies of our constitution to show the contrary. Burke.

The chief magistrate in some of the Greek states.