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ostiary
os·ti·ar·y
/
ˈɒs
tiˌɛr
i
/
Show Spelled
[
os
-tee-er-ee
]
Show IPA
noun,
plural
os·ti·ar·ies.
1.
Also called
doorkeeper
,
porter
.
Roman Catholic Church
.
a.
a member of the lowest-ranking of the four minor orders.
b.
the order itself. Compare
acolyte
(
def 2
)
,
exorcist
(
def 2
)
,
lector
(
def 2
)
.
2.
a doorkeeper, as of a church.
Origin:
1400–50;
late Middle English
hostiary
<
Latin
ōstiārius
doorkeeper, equivalent to
ōsti
(
um
) door, entrance (see
ostium
) +
-ārius
-ary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To
ostiary
Collins
World English Dictionary
ostiary
(ˈɒstɪərɪ)
—
n
,
pl
-aries
RC Church
another word for
porter
[C15: from Latin
ostiārius
doorkeeper, from
ostium
door]
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
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