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Glite Dictionary
🚪 A building guard ⛪ A church official
doorkeeper

doorkeeper

9.9
A church officer in older times who guarded the church doors
  • noun
  • /ˈdʊrˌkipər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : ostiario
  • Historically, a doorkeeper was a vital role in the church, overseeing the entrance and protecting the holy premises.

Examples

  • In the past, the doorkeeper would greet visitors at the entrance of the church.

  • Since, therefore, an appeal is always taken from an inferior judge to a superior, as no one is greater than himself, so no appeal holds when made from the Pope to God, because there is one consistory of the Pope himself and of God Himself, of which consistory the Pope himself is the key-bearer and the doorkeeper.

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  • The doorkeeper was responsible for ensuring only authorized individuals could enter the sacred space.

Synonyms

ostiary
vsdoorkeeper
  • Archaic
9.9

A former church job for people who looked after the church door

is the same meaning but uses a different word for it
ostiarius
vsdoorkeeper
  • Archaic
9.9

A church helper in older times who guarded the doors during services

refers to the office or role rather than the individual holding it

Surface Forms

doorkeeper singular
doorkeepers plural

Morphology

doorkeeper = door + keeper (semi-transparent) = door + keeper

Components are recognisable, but the sense is a specialised, historical ecclesiastical office that learners may not infer from the parts alone.

Etymology

Doorkeeper comes from door and keeper. In the old Church, it named a low church officer who would watch the church doors and decide who could enter, which fits the general idea of someone who 'guards' an entrance.