Officers of the court who maintain order and carry out the judge's orders, or officials who enforce the law and collect debts.
From Old French 'bailif' meaning an officer of a bailly (a district). Came to English through Norman French after 1066, originally referring to the chief officer of a medieval lord, and narrowed over time to legal court officers.
Bailiffs are basically the muscle behind the law—they're the ones who actually have to remove people from courtrooms or collect court-ordered debts when people don't pay. Without them, court orders would just be words on paper!
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