beadle
bead·le
beadle · beadles
A parish constable, a uniformed minor official, who ushers and keeps orderA parish constable, a uniformed minor (lay) official, who ushers and keeps order.
/ˈbiːdəl/
Meaning
3 sensesA parish constable, a uniformed minor (lay) official, who ushers and keeps order.
a minor parish official who serves a ceremonial function
(Scotland)An attendant to the minister.
A warrant officer.
Translations
1 languagesOrigin
From Middle English bedel, bidel, from Old English bydel (“warrant officer, apparitor”), fFrom Middle English bedel, bidel, from Old English bydel (“warrant officer, apparitor”), from Proto-West Germanic *budil, from Proto-Germanic *budilaz (“herald”), equivalent to bid + -le. Cognate with Dutch beul, German Büttel. More at bid.
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Forms
plural: beadlesSynonyms
2 synonymsClose in meaning
- United States biologist who discovered how hereditary characteristics are transmitted by genes (1903-1989):George BeadleGeorge Wells Beadle