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Definition of "beadle" [bea•dle]

  • A minor parish official formerly employed in an English church to usher and keep order during services. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "beadle" in a sentence
  • "Other brewers 'draymen became obstreperous too, one calling the beadle that stopped him "a rogue" and another vowing that if he knew the beadle "he would have a touch with him at quarterstaff.""
  • "In this piece of cloth is carried a box containing a stuff to chew called beadle nut."
  • "The beadle is a very grand personage, and his appearance sufficiently indicates this fact."