fossor

American  

[fos-er] / ˈfɒs ər /

noun

1. (in the early Christian church) a minor clergyman employed as a gravedigger.

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Etymology

Origin of fossor

1850–55; < Latin: digger ( Late Latin: gravedigger), equivalent to fod ( ere ) to dig + -tor -tor, with dt > ss

Example Sentences

The people were careworn and emaciated, and their faces were characterized by the same pallor which Marcellus had observed in the fossor.

From The Martyr of the Catacombs A Tale of Ancient Rome by Anonymous

The range of fossor in Utah, as now understood, is limited to the mountainous parts of the state south and east of the Colorado and Green rivers in Grand and San Juan counties.

From The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah, Vol. 1 No. 1 Kansas University Publications. by Durrant, Stephen D.

Because the animals are more like fossor in the majority of characters, they are here referred to that race.

From The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah, Vol. 1 No. 1 Kansas University Publications. by Durrant, Stephen D.

The old man continued to address those grouped around him, while Rufina and the fossor kept watch at the two entrances to the chamber.

From Jovinian A Story of the Early Days of Papal Rome by Kingston, William Henry Giles

The fossor ran as fast as his aged limbs would allow; his companions supporting him.

From Jovinian A Story of the Early Days of Papal Rome by Kingston, William Henry Giles