'bailiff' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'baillif', where 'baill-' meant 'to manage or control'.

'baillif' transformed into the Middle English word 'bailif', and eventually became the modern English word 'bailiff'.

Initially, it meant 'a person in charge of a household or estate', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'an official in a court of law'.