The word Sheriff came about from Henry the Second. One of his nobles spoke to King reminding him that he was responsible for law and order in England and he should sort out the problem as it was getting out of control. Well he appointed a Riff which was ancient French word for the Law, and he appointed one to each English shire to keep his laws in his name. Putting the words together they came to be known as Sheriffs.

Nice tidbit of knowledge to bandy about the bar.

Thanks LeEnfield, you always come through.

It's actually from Old English -- from scIr shire + gerEfa reeve. A reeve was an administrative official to an Anglo-Saxon king. It has nothing to do with Ancient French or its word for "law", which would have been somewhere between Latin lex legis and the Modern French loi.

SigPig

So who is right?

The shurff (East Texas pronunciation) is always right.

Originally Posted by SigPig

It's actually from Old English -- from scIr shire + gerEfa reeve. A reeve was an administrative official to an Anglo-Saxon king. It has nothing to do with Ancient French or its word for "law", which would have been somewhere between Latin lex legis and the Modern French loi.

SigPig

I like both stories but English versions are more trustworthy than French ones

Originally Posted by Missileer

The shurff (East Texas pronunciation) is always right.

I vote the East Texas pronunciation is the right one!