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Webster 1913 Edition


Apparitor

Ap-par′i-tor

,
Noun.
[L., fr.
apparere
. See
Appear
.]
1.
Formerly, an officer who attended magistrates and judges to execute their orders.
Before any of his
apparitors
could execute the sentence, he was himself summoned away by a sterner
apparitor
to the other world.
De Quincey.
2.
(Law)
A messenger or officer who serves the process of an ecclesiastical court.
Bouvier.

Webster 1828 Edition


Apparitor

APPAR'ITOR

,
Noun.
[L. apparo, to prepare, or appareo, to attend.]
Among the Romans, any officer who attended magistrates and judges to execute their orders. In England, a messenger or officer who serves the process of a spiritual court, or a beadle in the university who carries the mace.

Definition 2024


apparitor

apparitor

English

Noun

apparitor (plural apparitors)

  1. Formerly, an officer who attended magistrates and judges to execute their orders.
    • De Quincey
      Before any of his apparitors could execute the sentence, he was himself summoned away by a sterner apparitor to the other world.
  2. A messenger or officer who serves the process of an ecclesiastical court.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Bouvier to this entry?)


Latin

Etymology

From appāreō (wait upon).

Pronunciation

Noun

appāritor m (genitive appāritōris); third declension

  1. a gatekeeper
  2. a public servant
  3. a servant, secretary, lictor, deputy

Inflection

Third declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative appāritor appāritōrēs
genitive appāritōris appāritōrum
dative appāritōrī appāritōribus
accusative appāritōrem appāritōrēs
ablative appāritōre appāritōribus
vocative appāritor appāritōrēs

Related terms

Descendants

References