Definition of "postulator" []

• One who postulates. (noun)
• Roman Catholic Church A church official who presents a plea for canonization or beatification. (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.

• "The Vatican named Father Mode as "postulator," or promoter of the cause, and a tribunal was established to interview witnesses to Father Capodanno's life."
• ""Why a Saint?" by Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the Vatican "postulator" in charge of the canonization process, says the Polish-born Pope performed self flagellation as a bishop in Krakow and continued to do so in the Vatican after being elected Pope in 1978."
• "The Vatican-based Mr. Ambrosi is a "postulator," or advocate, for potential saints during the rigorous investigative process."