Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A man serving as an official in charge of the royal forests of medieval England.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In English forest law, a judicial officer in the royal forests, whose peculiar charge was to take care of the vert—that is, the trees and underwood of the forest—and to keep the assizes, as well as to view, receive, and enroll attachments and presentments of all manner of trespasses.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Eng. Forest Law) An officer who has the charge of the king's forest, to preserve the vert and venison, keep the assizes, view, receive, and enroll attachments and presentments of all manner of trespasses.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Anglo-Norman, from verd, green, from Latin viridis.]

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Examples

  • A verderer was a royal servant paid to enforce the forest laws.

    The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989

  • For instance, if Gurth, the swineherd, who was now promoted to be a gamekeeper and verderer, brought the account of a famous wild-boar in the wood, and proposed a hunt, Rowena would say,

    Burlesques 2006

  • Never again would she let someone get behind her the way the verderer had last night, when he pushed her into the shed.

    The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989

  • She guessed that the verderer had put the water butt up against it.

    The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989

  • They had not seen a village since morning, and the verderer had said they would not see one all day tomorrow.

    The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989

  • They followed the path to the clearing where they had met the verderer.

    The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989

  • However, it was not the verderer who came in but his small brown wife; and although her face was as set and closed as it had been last night, she was carrying a hunk of bread and two cups.

    The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989

  • Was the man really a verderer, or was he an outlaw?

    The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989

  • The verderer came over and said: “Give me the reins.”

    The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989

  • Aliena was about to speak to her sharply when the verderer came in.

    The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989

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