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Synonyms

vestry

American  
[ves-tree] / ˈvɛs tri /

noun

plural

vestries

  1. a room in or a building attached to a church, in which the vestments, and sometimes liturgical objects, are kept; sacristy.

  2. (in some churches) a room in or a building attached to a church, used as a chapel, for prayer meetings, for the Sunday school, etc.

  3. Episcopal Church. a committee elected by members of a congregation to serve with the churchwardens in managing the temporal affairs of the church.

  4. Church of England. a meeting attended by all the parishioners or by a committee of parishioners during which the official business of the church is discussed.

vestry British  
/ ˈvɛstrɪ /

noun

  1. a room in or attached to a church in which vestments, sacred vessels, etc, are kept

  2. a room in or attached to some churches, used for Sunday school, meetings, etc

  3. Church of England

    1. a meeting of all the members of a parish or their representatives, to transact the official business of the parish

    2. the body of members meeting for this; the parish council

  4. Episcopal Church Anglican Church a committee of vestrymen chosen by the congregation to manage the temporal affairs of their church

"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

Other Word Forms

  • vestral adjective

Etymology

Origin of vestry

1350–1400; Middle English vestrie, vestrye. See vest (v.), -ery

Vocabulary lists containing vestry

"The Crucible," Vocabulary from the play

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Doreen Golding, 83, the Pearly Queen of Bow Bells and the Old Kent Road, shouted to the group as she led the way to the church vestry.

From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2023

Church records show that the vestry also paid for goods and services from dozens of local workers, including one woman, Mary Wilson, who served as cook for those building the church.

From Washington Post • Mar. 15, 2023

"We put out an appeal on Facebook and that brought people from outside the church, from different walks of life and faiths," said vestry member Samuel Stewart.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2022

In the town centre, Heidi Jacobsen, who runs the Hope Pantry in the vestry of a beautiful church, is tackling a different problem.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2022

Her dramas and her emotions had to do with the boys, with the vestry, and with food.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.