officiant

American  

[uh-fish-ee-uhnt] / əˈfɪʃ i ənt /

noun

1. a person who officiates at a religious service or ceremony.

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officiant British  

/ əˈfɪʃɪənt /

noun

1. a person who presides and officiates at a religious ceremony

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Etymology

Origin of officiant

1835–45; < Medieval Latin officiant- (stem of officiāns ), present participle of officiāre to serve, equivalent to Latin offici ( um ) office + -ant- -ant

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

officiant

“Outside Lands is so much more than a festival,” the officiant said as the couple faced each other under a partially enclosed floral arch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Though the exact shape of the new rules is still under public consultation until September, these changes will take regulations from a "buildings based" regulation model to an "officiant based" one.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Orel Hershiser, the officiant at Turner’s wedding, ended his career at 41.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

I mean, there are multiple conversations that they had which are very memorable, whether it's the conversation they had at the dinner table about, you know, they didn't want their officiant to be cis-hetero.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2024

The marriage service was simple and devout, the officiant being neither cardinal nor bishop, but the bride's own parish priest, while the music was grave plain-chant, perfectly rendered, with an exquisite motett by Palestrina.

From A New Medley of Memories by David Hunter-Blair

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