archimandrite

American  

[ahr-kuh-man-drahyt] / ˌɑr kəˈmæn draɪt /

noun

Eastern Church.

1. the head of a monastery; an abbot.

2. a superior abbot, having charge of several monasteries.

3. a title given to distinguished celibate priests.

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archimandrite British  

/ ˌɑːkɪˈmændraɪt /

noun

1. Greek Orthodox Church the head of a monastery or a group of monasteries

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Etymology

Origin of archimandrite

1585–95; < Late Latin archimandrīta < Late Greek archimandrī́tēs abbot, equivalent to Greek archi- archi- + Late Greek mándr ( a ) monastery ( Greek: fold, enclosure) + -ītēs -ite ¹

Example Sentences

She has already put Manchuria under the Greek archimandrite of Peking, and has sought to limit all Christian teaching to the members of the Orthodox Greek Church.

From New Forces in Old China An Inevitable Awakening by Brown, Arthur Judson

The lay brother was alarmed, and ran first to the archimandrite, then for the monastery doctor, Ivan Andreyitch, who lived in the town.

From The Bishop and Other Stories by Garnett, Constance

Being an archimandrite, he is married, for in our country priests and deacons can be married once.

From Marie Bashkirtseff (From Childhood to Girlhood) by Bashkirtseff, Marie

Then we took a carriage, and Mamma went to the Russian priest's, the archimandrite Alexander.

From Marie Bashkirtseff (From Childhood to Girlhood) by Bashkirtseff, Marie

I don't know what passed at their interview, but the archimandrite disappeared and I was detained.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 10 — Lives and Letters by Mee, Arthur