Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The priest of a parish in the Church of England who receives a stipend or salary but does not receive the tithes of a parish.
- n. A cleric in charge of a chapel in the Episcopal Church of the United States.
- n. A cleric acting in the place of a rector or bishop in the Anglican Communion generally.
- n. Roman Catholic Church A priest who acts for or represents another, often higher-ranking member of the clergy.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A person deputed or authorized to perform the functions of another; a substitute in office: as, the Pope claims to be vicar of Jesus Christ on earth.
- n. In English ecclesiastical law, the priest of a parish the tithes of which belong to a chapter or religious house, or to a layman, and who receives only the smaller tithes or a salary. The title is also now given to incumbents who would formerly have been known as perpetual curates (see
curate ). - n. In the Roman Catholic Church, an ecclesiastic assisting a bishop and exercising jurisdiction in his name. He cannot perform acts properly belonging to the episcopate nor collate to benefices without special authority.
Wiktionary
- n. In the Church of England, the priest of a parish, receiving a salary or stipend but not tithes.
- n. In the Roman Catholic and some other churches, a cleric acting as local representative of a higher ranking member of the clergy.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. One deputed or authorized to perform the functions of another; a substitute in office; a deputy.
- n. The incumbent of an appropriated benefice.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (Episcopal Church) a clergyman in charge of a chapel
- n. (Church of England) a clergyman appointed to act as priest of a parish
- n. a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old French vicaire, from Latin vicārius, vicarious, a substitute, from vicis, genitive of *vix, change; see weik-2 in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“He is drawing up plans for neighbouring parishes to pool their resources, forming pastoral areas to be co-ordinated by a priest with the title vicar forane.”
“He was what they call a vicar general -- next job to the bishop, you know.”
“Disco vicar" is a similar phrase, and sufficiently widely used I'd be tempted to file it as "jargon" already.”
“My mom would like my next book to be a cozy about an eccentric vicar from the Midlands who solves crimes with the help of a psychic sheepdog, but it will probably be more razor-toting junkies making catastrophic life choices.”
“Rash and impassioned, Arthur later flourishes in his haphazard professional endeavors while George, the dutiful solicitor son of a Parsi vicar, is falsely convicted in the gruesome mutilation of a pony.”
“Our vicar is now Fr. Stephen Martz, sharing costs with St Nicholas, as Fr. Ted reluctantly had to accept a position with a bit more job security than we could offer.”
“A Gloucestershire vicar is lending his support to a nude calendar by displaying the images in his church.”
“Two priests were then attached to it, one called the vicar, who was granted”
“He reminded Josiah Graves that parson meant person, that is, the vicar was the person of the parish.”
“In large dioceses in England and some other countries, a distinction was made between the vicar-general, who had voluntary jurisdiction or administration, and the official, who had contentious jurisdiction, but this distinction was never received into the common law, and the titles vicar-general and official are used indiscriminately for the same person in the Decretals and the Tridentine decrees.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘vicar’.
Prolagus Hilary went to the Catholic Church because she wanted information
The vicar, or whatever, took her to one side and gave her confirmation
Saint Theresa's calling her, the church up on the hill is looking lovely
But it doesn't interest, the only things she wants to know is how and why and when and where to go
How and why and when and where to follow.
(If you're feeling sinister, by Belle and Sebastian) Sep 10, 2008