The AI-powered English dictionary
plural reeves
(historical) Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities. quotations
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, page 99
(Canada) The president of a township or municipal district council. examples
(military, historical) The holder of a proposed but unadopted commissioned rank of the Royal Air Force, equivalent to wing commander. quotations
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
third-person singular simple present reeves, present participle reeving, simple past and past participle reeved or rove
(nautical, dialect) To pass (a rope) through a hole or opening, especially so as to fasten it. quotations examples
"Let the rope go," he says. With his other hand he reaches down and reeves the two turns from the stanchion.
1930, William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying, Library of America, published 1985, page 98
A female of the species Philomachus pugnax, a highly gregarious, medium-sized wading bird of Eurasia; the male is a ruff. examples