lector

[lek-ter]

noun

a lecturer in a college or university.

Roman Catholic Church.

a member of the next to lowest-ranking of the minor orders.
the order itself.Compare acolyte(def 2), exorcist(def 2), ostiary(def 1).

Origin of lector

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin: a reader, equivalent to leg(ere) to read + -tor -tor

Related formslec·tor·ate

[lek-ter-it, -tuh-reyt] /ˈlɛk tər ɪt, -təˌreɪt/, lec·tor·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for lectorate

lector

noun

a lecturer or reader in certain universities

RC Church

a person appointed to read lessons at certain services
(in convents or monastic establishments) a member of the community appointed to read aloud during meals

Derived Formslectorate (ˈlɛktərɪt) or lectorship, noun

Word Origin for lector

C15: from Latin, from legere to read

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lectorate

lector

late 14c., "reader, a cleric in one of the minor orders," from Late Latin lector "reader," agent noun from Latin legere "to read" (see lecture (n.)). Related: Lectorship.