A law enforcement officer, especially a sheriff or marshal, particularly in the American Old West.
Compound word combining 'law' (from Old English 'lagu,' meaning rules or code) and 'man' (Old English 'mann'). The term became popular in American frontier literature and culture.
The romantic image of the Old West lawman—the lone sheriff taking down outlaws—was largely invented by dime novels and movies; real lawmen dealt mostly with property disputes and drunk people.
Lawman defaults to male form; historically law enforcement was male-dominated and gendered language reflected exclusion.
Use 'law officer,' 'police officer,' or 'lawkeeper' for gender neutrality.
["law officer","police officer","law enforcement officer"]
Women pioneers in law enforcement (Lola Baldwin, first US female police officer 1905) were systematically written out of gendered language.
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