crosier

American  

[kroh-zher] / ˈkroʊ ʒər /

Or crozier

noun

1. a ceremonial staff carried by a bishop or an abbot, hooked at one end like a shepherd's crook.

2. Botany. the circinate young frond of a fern.

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crosier British  

/ ˈkrəʊʒə /

noun

1. a staff surmounted by a crook or cross, carried by bishops as a symbol of pastoral office

2. the tip of a young plant, esp a fern frond, that is coiled into a hook

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Other Word Forms

• crosiered adjective

Etymology

Origin of crosier

1350–1400; short for crosier-staff; Middle English crosier staff-bearer < Middle French; replacing Middle English crocer < Anglo-French. See crosse, -er ²

Example Sentences

Benedict has been laying in state without any papal regalia, such as a crosier, a silver staff with a crucifix, or a pallium, a band of cloth worn around the neck worn by archdiocesan bishops.

From Reuters

With a bit of fingertip digging through last year’s fronds and leaf litter, see that this year’s gift awaits: tight, unfurled crosiers.

From Seattle Times

Flanked by bishops in their ornate robes, Porfirije was handed over a crosier, a stylized staff that is a symbol of his office and a white stiff hat.

From Reuters

The job is less about the hat and more about the bishop’s crosier - the staff that symbolizes a shepherd’s crook.

From Washington Times

It matters not who wears the miter and carries the crosier.

From Washington Post