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Glite Dictionary
verger

verger

1 9.9
A person who looks after a church and helps at services, often carrying a staff
  • noun
  • /ˈvɜrdʒər/
  • UK
: sacristán

Examples

  • Thank Mr Verger for letting us look around.

    Hannibal (2001)

  • Please thank Mr. Verger for letting us look around.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The cardinal said, "I asked for 13 vergers."

    Jabberwocky (1977)

  • The verger seemed to know already, a thin, bent man, Birger's enemy.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The verger's wife was picking up things, gathering them together, and taking them to the sauna cabin.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The verger had sat in the armchair, gloomily watching the smoldering ruins.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The verger prepared the altar before the Sunday service began.

  • During the wedding, the verger guided the guests to their seats with a friendly smile.

  • As the ceremony started, the verger stood by with the ceremonial rod in hand.

Surface Forms

verger singular
vergers plural

Morphology

verger = verge (opaque) = verge + er

The word is historically built from 'verge' + '-er', but the relevant sense depends on the archaic meaning of 'verge' as a staff, not the familiar modern meaning 'edge'.

Etymology

Verger comes from an old French word based on the Latin virga, meaning 'rod' or 'staff'. A verger originally carried a staff and looked after the church, so the name comes from the tool they carry.