churchwarden

English

Etymology

From Middle English cherchewardeyn, chirchewardeyn, churchewardeyn, schyrsche wordeyn; equivalent to church +‎ warden.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

churchwarden (plural churchwardens)

1. (UK) A lay officer of the Church of England who handles the secular affairs of the parish.

   Coordinate term: people's warden

   • 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XXXI, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC:

     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.

   • 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 187:

     One important office that has survived for over 800 years is that of the churchwarden, established in the middle of the 12th century.

2. (US) A similar functionary of the Episcopal church.
3. (British, slang) Short for churchwarden pipe.
   • 1843, John William Carleton, The Sporting Review, volume 10, page 419:

     In one part of Cockaigne an amalgamation of these two last has lately taken place; and the pleasure experienced by the parishioners of Walbrook is unbounded when smoking an alderman and churchwarden.

   • 1887, William Black, “A Honeymoon Visit”, in Sabina Zembra […], volume II, London, New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 9:

     [T]here was a small wooden table placed in front of the smouldering fire, with decanters, a jar of tobacco, and two long churchwardens. The second churchwarden was supposed to be placed there for the service of Mr. Fred; but as a matter of fact that young gentleman did not find much gaiety in sitting and listening to grumblings over his own conduct and gloomy prophecies as to the future of the agricultural interests of the country; so that the old man generally sat there alone, nor had he ever been known to ask any one to keep him company.

   • 1938 May, Evelyn Waugh, chapter 2, in Scoop: A Novel about Journalists, uniform edition, London: Chapman & Hall, published 1948 (1951 printing), →OCLC, book I (The Stitch Service), section 3, page 26:

     He greeted William with cordiality. "Ah, Boot, how are you? Don't think I've had the pleasure before. Know your work well of course. Sit down. Have a cigarette or"—had he made a floater?—"or do you prefer your churchwarden?"

Derived terms

• churchwardenly
• churchwarden pipe
• churchwardenship
• churchwarden's pew

 

Translations

lay officer who handles secular affairs of the parish

• Armenian: եկեղեցպան (hy) (ekeġecʻpan)
• Danish: kirkeværge c
• Dutch: kerkmeester (nl) m, kerkvoogd (nl) m (historical), kerkmeesteres f
• Finnish: kirkonisäntä, kirkkoväärti (fi) (historical)
• French: marguillier (fr) m, marguillière (fr) f
• German: Kirchenvorsteher m, Kirchenvorsteherin f
• Greek: επίτροπος (el) m (epítropos)
• Hungarian: kurátor (hu)
• Ingrian: kirkkostaarosta
• Macedonian: е́питроп m (épitrop)
• Norman: seurvillant d'l'Êglyise m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kirkeverge m

  Nynorsk: kyrkjeverje f

• Polish: kościelny (pl) m
• Russian: кти́тор (ru) m (ktítor), церко́вный ста́роста m (cerkóvnyj stárosta)
• Spanish: capiller m, capillero m
• Swedish: kyrkvärd c

See also

• vestry