apparitor

[ uh-par-i-ter ]

noun

(in ancient Rome) a subordinate official of a magistrate or of the court.

Origin of apparitor

1250–1300; Middle English apparitour<Latin appāritor, equivalent to appāri- (variant stem of appārēre to serve, attend, literally, to be seen; see appear) + -tor-tor

Words Nearby apparitor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apparitor in a sentence

The description of the Sompnour, or Ecclesiastical apparitor, is not an inviting one.
Nineteen Centuries of Drink in England | Richard Valpy French
One of the children stood at the door to give notice if he saw the apparitor coming, who was an officer of the spiritual court.
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin | Benjamin Franklin
Somnour, summoner; an officer employed to summon delinquents to appear in ecclesiastical courts; now called an apparitor.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 5 (of 7) -- Notes to the Canterbury Tales | Geoffrey Chaucer
No wonder our wardens disclaimed all knowledge of the apparitor!
The Church of Grasmere | Mary L. Armitt
An apparitor tore him down, and was dragged to the ground in his turn.
Hypatia | Charles Kingsley

British Dictionary definitions for apparitor

apparitor

/ (əˈpærɪtə) /

noun

an officer who summons witnesses and executes the orders of an ecclesiastical and (formerly) a civil court

Origin of apparitor

C15: from Latin: public servant, from appārēre to appear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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