attorney general

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) [etyl] Anglo-Norman/Law French, (modern French avocat général), hence the unusual order of adjective following noun, instead of idiomatic English *general attorney. Compare court martial, notary public, secretary general, surgeon general.

Noun

attorney general (plural attorneys general or attorney generals)

1. A major government officer throughout the English-speaking world, generally responsible for interpreting the law for the head of government and executive department and functioning as chief prosecutor, with the ability to bring civil and criminal actions directly.

   Janet Reno was US Attorney General under Bill Clinton.

Related terms

• general counsel
• secretary general
• solicitor general
• surgeon general

Translations

major government officer

• Arabic: نَائِب عَامّ m (nāʔib ʕāmm)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 司法部長／司法部长 (sīfǎ bùzhǎng), 司法部长 (sīfǎ bùzhǎng)

• Czech: generální prokurátor m
• Finnish: oikeuskansleri (fi) (chief legal advisor to govt), valtakunnansyyttäjä (fi) (chief prosecutor)
• Georgian: იუსტიციის მინისტრი (iusṭiciis minisṭri), გენერალური პროკურორი (generaluri ṗroḳurori)
• German: Generalstaatsanwalt m
• Hebrew: תובע כללי m, תובעת כללית f
• Hungarian: főállamügyész, igazságügy-miniszter (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingue: ,
• Irish: Ard-Aighne m
• Maori: rōia matua
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: justisminister (no) m

  Nynorsk: justisminister m

• Polish: prokurator generalny m (chief prosecutor)
• Russian: мини́стр юсти́ции m (minístr justícii), генера́льный прокуро́р (ru) m (generálʹnyj prokurór)
• Spanish: fiscal general m or f
• Swedish: kronjurist c (England and Wales), justitieminister (sv) c (USA)