obedientiary means the holder of a monastic rank or office below that of superior. It carries an Arena rating of 1370, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, obedientiary ranks #1,120 of 42,749 for Qualifying, #1,398 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,528 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #1,921 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
Why “obedientiary” is a great word
A subordinate monastic officer entrusted with a specific administrative department or duty within a religious house. From Medieval Latin obedientiarius, from Latin oboedientia ('obedience') + the suffix -arius ('pertaining to, connected with'). Unlike an 'abbot,' who commands the entire foundation, or a simple 'monk,' who lives under its rule, the obedientiary is the functionary of a particular realm: the cellarer with his keys to the grain stores, the precentor tending the scriptorium's quiet scratch of quills, the infirmarian measuring out tinctures in the herb-scented dusk. His is a humble sovereignty over bread, books, and bandages—a quiet machinery of devotion that turns the wheel of daily holiness.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin obedientiarius, from Latin oboedientia (“obedience”) + la + -arius. By surface analysis, from obedient + -i- (“connecting vowel”) + -ary.
noun
- The holder of a monastic rank or office below that of superior.e.g.“Each obedientiary held his own rural estates as well as properties in the city and was supported by various unlanded officials.” — 2004, Richard Goddard, Lordship and Medieval Urbanisation: Coventry, 1043-1355, page 95:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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