Beadle
[BEE-dl]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Old English, 16th century
1.
A ceremonial officer of a church, college, or similar institution.
2.
A minor parish officer dealing with petty offenders.
Examples of Beadle in a sentence
"The award will be presented by the beadle."
"As beadle, he was responsible for enforcing the parking regulations in the small town."
About Beadle
There are a few different definitions of beadle, but they're all an officer of some sort. A beadle might be an officer of the church or learning institution, in a ceremonial sense. In Scotland, the beadle assists the minister. And if you're in a small town, the beadle is in charge of enforcing minor legal offenses.
Did you Know?
The spelling of this word has been altered over the years. In Old English, a "bydel" was a person making a proclamation. As it shifted to mean an officer of the church, the spelling changed to "bedel" (from Old French influences). Some universities with ceremonial practices still spell it "bedel," but for the most part, "beadle" is the preferred modern spelling.
