Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🙏 A Catholic priest 🎓 A school pupil ⛪ Related to Oratory
Oratorian

Oratorian

1 9.9
A pupil or former pupil of The Oratory School in England
  • noun
  • /ˌɔːrəˈtɔːrɪən/
  • UK
: oratoriano
  • As an Oratorian, she returned each year for the school's alumni weekend.

Examples

  • The annual dinner brought together Oratorians from several generations to celebrate the school's history.

  • Many Oratorians maintain strong connections with their former classmates after graduation.

  • He is an Oratorian who graduated last year.

  • Many Oratorians participate in community service.

  • As an Oratorian, he felt a deep connection to the values taught at The Oratory School.

  • At the reunion, many Oratorians shared their stories and experiences from their time at school.

  • She is proud to be an Oratorian and often speaks fondly of her days at The Oratory School.

Surface Forms

Oratorian singular
Oratorians plural

Morphology

Oratorian = oratory (semi-transparent) = oratory + ian

Formed from the school's name plus '-ian' meaning 'member/affiliate', but the sense (pupil/alumnus of The Oratory School) is a specific institutional usage not predictable from the general noun.

Etymology

Oratorian is also used for a pupil or former pupil of The Oratory School, because the school was started by the Oratory priests. The name goes back to Latin orare 'to pray' and the idea of an orator 'public speaker', so an Oratorian is someone connected to that school's religious origin.