bedeswoman

9.9

A woman paid or supported to pray for another person's soul, often in the Middle Ages

noun
/ˈbēdzˌwə-mən/

Archaic

: mujer de oración

The wealthy merchant arranged for a bedeswoman to pray for his soul after his death.

Examples

The bedeswoman prayed daily for the souls of the departed.
Records show that several bedeswomen were supported by the local church community.
In the medieval period, a bedeswoman often lived at the expense of a monastery or parish.
In medieval times, a bedeswoman was highly respected.
In the medieval period, a bedeswoman often lived at the expense of a monastery or parish.
The wealthy merchant arranged for a bedeswoman to pray for his soul after his death.
Records show that several bedeswomen were supported by the local church community.

Synonyms

beadswoman

vsbedeswoman

Archaic

9.9

An older woman who people pay to pray for a dead person's soul using prayer beads

is a woman paid to pray without age or prayer string counting

bedesman

vsbedeswoman

Archaic

9.9

A man paid in the past to pray for a dead person's soul

is the corresponding female role rather than the male one

beadsman

vsbedeswoman

Archaic

9.9

A man paid in the past to pray for another person's soul

is the female equivalent used for women rather than for men

Surface Forms

bedeswoman singular

bedeswomen plural

Morphology

bedeswoman = bede + woman (opaque) = bede + woman

The element 'bede' is archaic and unknown to most learners, so knowing 'woman' does not enable a B1 learner to infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word bedeswoman comes from the old word bede ('prayer') plus woman. So a bedeswoman was a 'woman of prayer' who prayed for another person's soul, often supported by the church.