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vestry

[ ves-tree ]
/ ˈvɛs tri /
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noun, plural ves·tries.
a room in or a building attached to a church, in which the vestments, and sometimes liturgical objects, are kept; sacristy.
(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.
Episcopal Church. a committee elected by members of a congregation to serve with the churchwardens in managing the temporal affairs of the church.
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.
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Origin of vestry

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

OTHER WORDS FROM vestry

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

How to use vestry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vestry

vestry
/ (ˈvɛstrɪ) /

noun plural -tries
a room in or attached to a church in which vestments, sacred vessels, etc, are kept
a room in or attached to some churches, used for Sunday school, meetings, etc
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
Episcopal Church Anglican Church a committee of vestrymen chosen by the congregation to manage the temporal affairs of their church

Derived forms of vestry

vestral, adjective

Word Origin for vestry

C14: probably from Old French vestiarie; see vest
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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