churchwarden

churchwarden

English

Etymology

church +‎ warden

Noun

churchwarden (plural churchwardens)

1. (Britain) A lay officer of the Church of England who handles the secular affairs of the parish.
   • 1933, George Orwell, chapter 31, in Down and Out in Paris and London‎:

     At first, not knowing any better, I used sometimes to copy a nude on the pavement. The first I did was outside St Martin's-in-the-Fields church. A fellow in black—I suppose he was a churchwarden or something—came out in a tearing rage.

2. (US) A similar functionary of the Episcopal church.
3. (Britain, slang) A churchwarden pipe.
   • W. Black

     There was a small wooden table placed in front of the smoldering fire, with decanters, a jar of tobacco, and two long churchwardens.

Derived terms

• churchwarden pipe
• churchwardenship

Translations

lay officer who handles secular affairs of the parish

Armenian: եկեղեցպան (hy) (ekełecʿpan) Danish: kirkeværge c Dutch: kerkmeester m, kerkvoogd (nl) m (historical), kerkmeesteres f Finnish: kirkonisäntä, kirkkoväärti (fi) (historical) French: marguillier (fr) m, marguillière (fr) f German: Kirchenvorsteher m, Kirchenvorsteherin f Norman: seurvillant d'l'Êglyise m

Norwegian: Bokmål: kirkeverge m Nynorsk: kyrkjeverje f Russian: кти́тор (ru) m (ktítor), церко́вный ста́роста m (cerkóvnyj stárosta) Spanish: capiller m, capillero m Swedish: kyrkvärd c

See also

• vestry