reve

Noun (1)

reeve (plural reeves)

1. (historical) Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.
   • His first convert was the reeve of the city of Lincoln called Blæcca, ...1999, Bede, edited by Judith McClure and Roger Collins, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 99

   Synonyms:

   provost

2. (Canada) The president of a township or municipal district council.
3. (historical) The holder of a proposed but unadopted commissioned rank of the Royal Air Force, equivalent to wing commander.
   • A list of new titles was manufactured as follows: Ensign, Lieutenant, Flight-Leader, Squadron-Leader, Reeve, Banneret, Fourth-Ardian, Third-Ardian, Second-Ardian, Ardian, Air Marshal. […] “Reeve”, perhaps, savoured a little too much of legal authority.1936, The Periodical, volumes 21-22, Oxford University Press, page 67

Noun (2)

reeve (plural reeves)

1. A female of the species Philomachus pugnax, a highly gregarious, medium-sized wading bird of Eurasia; the male is a ruff.

See all 7 meanings of reeve