prevotaladj.
/ˈprɛvətl/, U.S. /ˈprɛvədl/ Now historical.
Of or relating to a French provost-marshal (cf. also prévôt n.).
ΚΠ
1763 W. Mildmay Police of France ii. 35 There is in each generalité, the court of the prevot of the marshals of France; the civil branch of which judicature derives its power from particular edicts, and consequently, can extend it only to such crimes, as therein are assigned to it, and which therefore are called prevotal cases.
1786 Daily Universal Reg. 18 Sept. 4/1 By this court, therefore, the offenders guilty of prevotal crimes, are adjudged, and finally condemned.
1821 New Monthly Mag. 1 303 Military police was established; the ordinary laws suspended; a prevotal tribunal erected at Mayence.
a1890 D. Boucicault Louis XI i. in Forbidden Fruit & Other Plays (1940) 57 Exterior of the castle, Plessis-les-Tours. Tristan enters with the prevotal guard.
1934 E. Emerton Mediaeval Europe xv. 537 The citizens retained their organization until the year 1331, when it [sc. the commune] was definitely abolished and the city brought under the prevotal system.
1999 S. S. Finley-Croswhite Henry IV & Towns viii. 168 By the terms of the edict [of Chauny on 14 December 1595], Henry imposed a prevotal system of government on the town similar to the one in Paris.
Compounds
prevotal court n. a French summary court, from which there is no appeal.
ΚΠ
1839 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Apr. 435 Nine years of agitations, civil war, regicide, insurrections, prevotal courts, states of siege, and then amnesty, order, prosperity, and peace.
1904 C. M. Andrews Hist. Devel. Mod. Europe vii. 277 Prévôtal courts were permanently abolished.
2000 R. Alexander in D. Laven & L. Riall Napoleon's Legacy ii. 33 Prevotal courts, extraordinary tribunals for the punishment of political ‘crimes’, only came into operation in the spring of 1816.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1763- to have take seisin in
- to have take seisin of
- to have taken one's load
- to have thank
- to have the advantage of
- to have the age
- to have the amends in one's hands
- to have the amends in one's own hands
- to have the bad end of the stick
- to have the ball
- to have the ball at one's foot
- to have the ball at one's foot before one
- to have the ball at one's foot feet
- to have the ball at one's foot feet before one
- to have the battle
- to have the best
- to have the best of
- to have the best of it
- to have the better end of the staff
- to have the better hand
- to have the better of
- to have the better, or worse, end of the staff
- to have the big eye
- to have the black dog on one's back
- to have the black dog on one's shoulder