‖ procureur
(prɔkyrœr)
[F., agent-n. from procurer to procure:—OF. procureeur, -ëur, -ëor:—L. prōcūrātōr-em procurator1.]
a. A procurator (esp. in sense 4); an attorney, agent, or legal representative. procureur du roi or procureur de la république, in France, a public prosecutor; procureur général, the legal agent of the state, in a court of appeal or court of cassation.
| 1598 Dallington Meth. Trav. 23 There bee of this Court, of Presidents, Councillors, Procureurs, Aduocates. 1682 Warburton Hist. Guernsey (1822) 11 The then bishop of Coûtance.., sent his procureur, or agent. Ibid. 56 The King's Procureur... He is properly the King's Attorney. 1751 Chesterfield Lett. to Son 18 Mar., Not the hand of a procureur, or a writing-master. 1763 Smollett Trav. ii. (1766) I. 20 To have my books examined on the spot, by the..procureur du roy, or the subdelegate of the intendance. 1804 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 112 Bougon, procureur-general of the department of Calvados. 1884 Pall Mall G. 1 Aug. 3/2 Sir E. Baring..goes on to say that he would..have preferred making the Mudir a magistrate to having the procureur system. 1905 Gunter Conscience King i. 8 A procureur attached to the local courts of Rouen. |
b. = procurator1 2 a.
| 1907 Daily Chron. 9 July 3/5 The monks..of La Grande Chartreuse..were governed by priors and procureurs{ddd}the latter [looked] after the temporalities, or revenues and supplies. |
c. = procurer 4.
| 1910 Times 29 Apr. 14/1 The procureurs (the cant name is ‘ponce’) at work in this country are mostly foreigners. 1979 W. J. Fishman Streets East London 52/2 Lodging houses infested by thieves, procureurs and prostitutes. |