Word of the Day : November 10, 2020

bailiwick \BAY-lih-wik\ noun

Definition

1 law enforcement : the office or jurisdiction of a bailiff

2 : the sphere in which one has superior knowledge or authority : a special domain

Did You Know?

The first half of the word bailiwick comes from the Middle English word for "bailiff"—in this case, a term referring to a sheriff or chief officer of a town in medieval England, not the officer who assists today in U.S. courtrooms. Bailiff derives, via Anglo-French, from Latin bajulare, meaning "to carry a burden." The second half of bailiwick comes from wik, a Middle English word for "dwelling place" or "village," which ultimately derives from Latin vicus, meaning "village." (This root also gave us -wich and -wick, suffixes used in place names like Norwich and Warwick.) Although bailiwick dates from the 15th century, the "special domain" sense did not appear in English until the middle of the 19th century.

Aired November 10, 2020

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