alderman

A schepen (Dutch; . ) or échevin (French) or Schöffe (German) is a municipal officer in Belgium and formerly the Netherlands. It has been replaced by the in the Netherlands (a municipal executive). In modern Belgium, the schepen or échevin is part of the municipal government. Depending on the context, it may be roughly translated as an alderman, councillor, or magistrate. Name The Dutch word schepen comes from the Old Saxon word scepino 'judge' and is related to German Schöffe 'lay magistrate'. In early Medieval Latin used in France, it was scabinus. Originally, the word referred to member of a council of "deciders" – literally, "judgment finders" (oordeelvinders) – that sat at a mandatory public assembly called a ding ("thing" in English). Their judgments originally required ratification by a majority of the people present. Later, mandatory attendance (dingplicht) and ratification were no longer required.