lay investiture

[ley in-ves-ti-cher, -choor]

noun

1. (in medieval Europe) bestowal of a church office by a member of the secular nobility rather than by church officials.

   Pope Gregory VII prohibited lay investiture of bishops and, in 1076, excommunicated the Holy Roman Emperor for his resistance.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lay investiture¹

First recorded in 1610–20