ostiary

[ os-tee-er-ee ]

noun,plural os·ti·ar·ies.

Also called doorkeeper, porter. Roman Catholic Church.
- a member of the lowest-ranking of the four minor orders.
- the order itself.: Compare acolyte (def. 2), exorcist (def. 2), lector (def. 2).
a doorkeeper, as of a church.

Origin of ostiary

1400–50; late Middle English hostiary<Latin ōstiārius doorkeeper, equivalent to ōsti(um) door, entrance (see ostium) + -ārius-ary

Words Nearby ostiary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ostiary in a sentence

In the decline of his popularity he permitted his door-keeper, whom he dignifies with the title of ostiary, to take a shilling!
Calamities and Quarrels of Authors | Isaac Disraeli

British Dictionary definitions for ostiary

ostiary

/ (ˈɒstɪərɪ) /

nounplural -aries

RC Church another word for porter 2 (def. 4)

Origin of ostiary

C15: from Latin ostiārius doorkeeper, from ostium door

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

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