Standard Lemma guide

magistrate

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪˌstɹeɪt/
  • /ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪ.stɹɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AE1 JH AH0 S T R EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: M AE1 JH IH0 S T R EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A judicial officer with limited authority to administer and enforce the law. A magistrate's court may have jurisdiction in civil or criminal cases, or both.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A high official of the state or a municipality in ancient Greece or Rome.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A comparable official in medieval or modern institutions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Examples

  • Like other civil servants, Ashok Kumar started his career as an Assistant Collector cum Sub-divisional Magistrate.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A master's degree.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Quebec

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: judge, justice, jurist

Narrower terms: justice of the peace, stipendiary, stipendiary magistrate

History

Etymology

From Middle English magistrat, maiestrat (“magistrate; magistracy”), borrowed from Latin magistrātus. See also -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office).

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: съдия (sǎdija) — judicial officer
  • Bulgarian: магистрат (magistrat) — judicial officer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 地方法官 (dìfāng fǎguān) — judicial officer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 裁判官 (cáipànguān) — judicial officer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 推事 (tuīshì) — judicial officer
  • Dutch: magistraat — judicial officer
  • Egyptian: s-r-A21 (sr) — judicial officer
  • Esperanto: magistrato — judicial officer
  • Estonian: magistraat — judicial officer
  • Finnish: maistraatti — judicial officer
  • French: magistrat — judicial officer
  • Galician: maxistrado — judicial officer
  • German: Richter — judicial officer
  • German: Friedensrichter — judicial officer
  • German: Magistrat — judicial officer
  • Greek: δικαστής (dikastís) — judicial officer
  • Hindi: मजिस्ट्रेट (majisṭreṭ) — judicial officer
  • Hungarian: rendőrbíró — judicial officer
  • Hungarian: békebíró — judicial officer
  • Hungarian: bíró — judicial officer
  • Hungarian: elöljáró — judicial officer
  • Indonesian: magistrat — judicial officer
  • Italian: magistrato — judicial officer
  • Japanese: 治安判事 (chi'an-hanji) — judicial officer
  • Latin: magistratus — judicial officer
  • Malay: majistret — judicial officer
  • Māori: kaiwhakawā — judicial officer
  • Norman: magistrat — judicial officer
  • Piedmontese: magistrà — judicial officer
  • Portuguese: magistrado — judicial officer
  • Romanian: magistrat — judicial officer
  • Russian: судья́ (sudʹjá) — judicial officer
  • Scottish Gaelic: bàillidh — judicial officer
  • Spanish: magistrado — judicial officer
  • Spanish: togado — judicial officer
  • Spanish: podestá — judicial officer
  • Swahili: hakimu — judicial officer
  • Swedish: magistrat — judicial officer
  • Tagalog: mahistrado — judicial officer
  • Tamil: ஆட்சியர் (āṭciyar) — judicial officer
  • Turkish: sulh hakimi — judicial officer
  • Welsh: ynad — judicial officer
  • Georgian: მაგისტრატი (magisṭraṭi) — high official Greece / Rome
  • Hungarian: magisztrátus — high official Greece / Rome
  • Norwegian Bokmål: magistrat — high official Greece / Rome
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: magistrat — high official Greece / Rome
Real reading context

magistrate in complete knowledge articles