Definitions
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- (Law) The power of the county, or the citizens who may be summoned by the sheriff to assist the authorities in suppressing a riot, or executing any legal precept which is forcibly opposed.
- colloq. A collection of people; a throng; a rabble.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun historical The
able-bodied men over 15 in a given county who can be summoned by thesheriff to helpkeep thepeace , orarrest afelon ; also a group of men so gathered. - noun figuratively Any band of men, especially armed or hostile.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a temporary police force
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Medieval Latin posse comitātūs : Medieval Latin posse, power, body of men (from Latin, to be able; see potent) + comitātūs, genitive of comitātus, county, territory of a count; see county.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Late Latin posse ("to be able (to have)") comitatus ("a company").
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Examples
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dgstone commented on the word posse comitatus
"The body of persons that a peace officer of a county is empowered to call upon for assistance in preserving the peace, making arrests, and serving writs."
March 16, 2008
dhuber commented on the word posse comitatus
From Latin... "force of the county"
October 11, 2008
bilby commented on the word posse comitatus
Compare possum comitatus.
July 5, 2021