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os·ti·ar·y

(ŏstē-ĕr′ē)

n. pl. os·ti·ar·ies

1. Roman Catholic Church One who is ordained in the lowest of the former minor orders.

2. A church doorkeeper.

[Middle English hostiary, from Latin ōstiārius, doorkeeper, from ōstium, door, from ōs, mouth; see ōs- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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