Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who performs a religious rite.
  • noun One who presides over a religious or civil ceremony.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Eccles., one who officiates at or conducts a religious service; one who administers a sacrament or celebrates the eucharist.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Eccl.) The officer who officiates or performs an office, as the burial office.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A person who officiates at a religious ceremony (other than the Eucharist)

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a clergyman who officiates at a religious ceremony or service

Etymologies

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Examples

  • I sure wanted to find out more about how Eric had qualified as a priest, or whatever they called the officiant, but first I was going to make Jake tell me about Quinn.

    All Together Dead Harris, Charlaine 2007

  • Their boldface-name officiant liked the idea, too.

    ABC News: Top Stories 2011

  • Their boldface-name officiant liked the idea, too.

    ABC News: Top Stories 2011

  • Under the city's current marriage law, civil marriages can only be performed by a judge or by a court-appointed 'officiant' that almost always performs marriages at the D.C. Superior Court.

    DeMorning DeBonis: Oct. 1, 2010 Mike DeBonis 2010

  • Given that view of marriage, I've always liked the Quaker way of getting married--i.e., the whole meeting serves as "officiant" for the wedding.

    Some Questions about Marriage Emma Goldman 2005

  • Given that view of marriage, I've always liked the Quaker way of getting married--i.e., the whole meeting serves as "officiant" for the wedding.

    Archive 2005-01-01 Emma Goldman 2005

  • In addition to being LEWW's favorite kind of officiant, (the Article III kind), Judge Jacobs is the author of Sarah and Patrick have much in common with the contestants above, starting with strong educational credentials that combine Ivy cache with a touch of newer-school swagger.

    Above the Law 2008

  • Their officiant, a dear friend of theirs, sported a full leopard-print suit in true rockabilly fashion—and even strutted over the tracks with Mike and his Rat Pack pals.

    My Fair Wedding David Tutera 2011

  • Next, the officiant, groom, and best man enter the ceremony through a side door and wait at the altar.

    My Fair Wedding David Tutera 2011

  • Shortly before sunrise on Saturday, March 27, 1546, Alfonso Díaz, a Spaniard and minor officiant at the Vatican, arrived in Neuburg on the Danube, a village outside Augsburg, Germany.

    Bloodlust Russell Jacoby 2011

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