precentor

American  

[pri-sen-ter] / prɪˈsɛn tər /

noun

1. a person who leads a church choir or congregation in singing.

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precentor British  

/ ˌpriːsɛnˈtɔːrɪəl, prɪˈsɛntə /

noun

1. a cleric who directs the choral services in a cathedral

2. a person who leads a congregation or choir in the sung parts of church services

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Other Word Forms

• precentorial adjective
• precentorship noun

Etymology

Origin of precentor

1605–15; < Late Latin praecentor leader in music, equivalent to Latin praecen-, variant stem of praecinere to lead in singing ( prae- pre- + -cinere, combining form of canere to sing; canto ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

A cathedral precentor who received online abuse for having tattoos has revealed a new inking of a feather to represent God's protection.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2023

"People always need role models," said Rev Cannon Emma Davies, 55, the cathedral's canon precentor.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2023

In talks with the dean and the precentor, the priest responsible for liturgical planning, the persistent watchword was dignity: a factor not as prominent in historic royal occasions as you might expect.

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2011

Suburbia, which in its modern form is barely a generation old, has so far lacked the kind of precentor or poet that the South, the West, the City, and the Small Town long since acquired.

From Time Magazine Archive

"He did in Gib.; and Addis; and at matins over the precentor."

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding