lay clerk

American  

noun

1. lay vicar.

---

Etymology

Origin of lay clerk

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lay clerk

Esme Byrd was a lay clerk at Bangor Cathedral for six months and regularly sang with the choir until leaving in January 2023.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2025

In 1756 a book on the subject was published at Worcester by Richard Lovett, a lay clerk at the cathedral, in which he records the treatment of a number of diseases with electricity.

From Nature ● Mar. 16, 2020

There happened to be a tiny tenement in the Close vacant when the new lay clerk began his duties as Tenor in the choir, and this he took.

From The Heavenly Twins by Grand, Madame Sarah

The first lay clerk, a man qualified to talk with his enemies in the gate, gave monthly dances; the leading tenor assisted at scientific demonstrations.

From For the Cause by Weyman, Stanley J.

He was only a lay clerk, to be sure, but then he was so utterly unlike any other lay clerk.

From The Heavenly Twins by Grand, Madame Sarah