gerefa

== English == === Noun === gerefa (plural gerefas) (historical) A reeve or official with local jurisdiction under the king; the chief magistrate of a district. == Old English == === Alternative forms === ġirœ̄fa, ġerœ̄fa, grœ̄fa — Northumbrian === Etymology === Allegedly from Proto-West Germanic *garāfijō, but this is unlikely on phonological grounds, since the West Saxon form has /eː/ and the Northumbrian and Mercian forms have /øː/. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests a connection to the second elements of seċġrōf and stæfrōf. By surface analysis, ġe- +‎ rēfa. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /jeˈreː.fɑ/, [jeˈreː.vɑ] === Noun === ġerēfa m a reeve or official with local jurisdiction under the king; the chief magistrate of a district Laws of King Ine Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church ==== Declension ==== Weak: ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Middle English: reve (via rēfa) English: reeve