Noun: lawman
| Singular | lawman |
| Plural | lawmen |
Sample Sentences
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From the twelfth century Shetland had been administered directly by the Norwegian crown through the 'foud', rather than forming part of the patrimony of a great aristocratic estate. The foud appointed 'underfouds' and the Shetlands evolved their own elected officers, a 'lawman' and parish 'lawrightmen', who adjudicated and negotiated the collection of customary taxes and fines on behalf of the local population. [1983, Paul Thompson, Tony Wailey, Trevor Lummis, History Workshop Series, Living the Fishing, Routledge & Kegan Paul:]
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"Fill your hand, you sonuvabitch," the old lawman cries, clamping the reins of his horse between his teeth and filling his own hands with six-gun and repeater. [1979 June 25, Richard Schickel, “Show Business: Duke: Images from a Lifetime”, in TIME, archived from the original on 13 May 2011:]
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The two lawmen punched his ticket with four well-aimed rifle shots. [2016, Dusty Richards, Deadly Is the Night, Pinnacle Books, →ISBN, retrieved 08 Dec 2021:]
Nouns inflected like lawman
whipman,
slaughterman,
seaman,
sawman,
saxman,
sanman,
headswoman,
kettleman,
given man,
skyman,
Manilaman,
boogyman,
brotherman,
beadman,
transgentleman,
baggageman,
first gentleman,
bedeman,
boothman,
hackneyman, etc. (List truncated at 20 nouns)
Etymology
From Middle English laweman, laȝaman (as a man's name, Laȝamon, Layamon), from Old English lahmann, borrowed from Old Norse lǫgmaðr. In present use as a law-enforcement officer, law + -man. See: Middle English Nouns '
laweman', Old English Nouns '
lahmann', Old Norse Nouns '
lǫgmaðr'.