A medieval official or bailiff who represented the lord and collected taxes or administered justice in a district.
From Old English 'gerefa' meaning 'an official or steward.' It's related to 'reeve' (alternative spelling), and the root connects to Germanic words for authority figures.
The 'reve' appears in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales as the Reeve—he's the one keeping everyone in line! This word shows how medieval government actually worked through local officials, and the word is now mainly historical.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.