ostiary

[ os-tee-er-ee ]
/ ˈɒs tiˌɛr i /

noun, plural os·ti·ar·ies.

Also called doorkeeper, porter. Roman Catholic Church.
  1. a member of the lowest-ranking of the four minor orders.
  2. 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

osteotomy, osteotribe, osteotrite, ostia, ostiak, ostiary, ostinato, ostiole, ostitis, ostium, ostium abdominale tubae uterinae

Example sentences from the Web for ostiary

  • 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) /

noun plural -aries

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

Word Origin for ostiary

C15: from Latin ostiārius doorkeeper, from ostium door