lector

[lek-ter] /ˈlɛk tər/
noun
1.
a lecturer in a college or university.
2.
Roman Catholic Church.
  1. a member of the next to lowest-ranking of the minor orders.
  2. the order itself.
    Compare acolyte (def 2), exorcist (def 2), ostiary (def 1).
Origin
1425-75; late Middle English < Latin: a reader, equivalent to leg(ere) to read + -tor -tor
Related forms
lectorate
[lek-ter-it, -tuh-reyt] /ˈlɛk tər ɪt, -təˌreɪt/ (Show IPA),
lectorship, noun
Examples from the web for lector
  • So, caveat lector, we're looking at incomplete and only suggestive data.
British Dictionary definitions for lector

lector

/ˈlɛktɔː/
noun
1.
a lecturer or reader in certain universities
2.
(RC Church)
  1. a person appointed to read lessons at certain services
  2. (in convents or monastic establishments) a member of the community appointed to read aloud during meals
Derived Forms
lectorate (ˈlɛktərɪt), lectorship, noun
Word Origin
C15: from Latin, from legere to read
Word Origin and History for lector
n.

late 14c., "reader, a cleric in one of the minor orders," from Late Latin lector "reader," agent noun from Latin legere "to read" (see lecture (n.)). Related: Lectorship.

Encyclopedia Article for lector

in Christianity, a person chosen or set apart to read Holy Scripture in the church services. In the Eastern Orthodox churches lector is one of the minor orders in preparation for the priesthood. Although formerly a minor order in the Roman Catholic Church, the office was named a ministry by Pope Paul VI in a motu proprio (initiated by the Pope without advice, effective Jan. 1, 1973) and was opened to laymen. Officially this ministry is reserved to men, although in practice women may serve as lectors without being formally installed in the ministry

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