apparitor

[uh-par-i-ter]

noun

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

Nearby words

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for apparitor

An apparitor tore him down, and was dragged to the ground in his turn.
Hypatia|Charles Kingsley
In this case the tribunal, with rare moderation, only ordered its apparitor to seize the books in the hands of the students.
A History of The Inquisition of Spain; vol. 2,|Henry Charles Lea
Mr. Garden then sent his apparitor for his commission, from the Bishop of London, to act as commissary.
The Life of the Rev. George Whitefield, Volume I (of 2)|Luke Tyerman
After having dressed ourselves in our best, and put on our majestic caps of fox-skin, we said to our apparitor, “We are ready.”
Travels in Tartary, Thibet, and China|Evariste Regis Huc

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

British Dictionary definitions for apparitor

apparitor

noun

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

Word Origin for 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