provisor
/prəˈvʌɪzə
/noun
1(In the Roman Catholic Church) a deputy of a bishop or archbishop.When it is said that the outside vicars depend immediately on the vicars-general or provisors, one must not, under any consideration, understand that the latter constitute an authority or jurisdiction intermediate between the outside vicar and the archbishop....
- 1351 - In England, Parliament passed the Statute of Provisors. The Pope had been in the habit of appointing ‘provisors’ to benefices (church offices that provided income without necessarily requiring work) in England.
2 Christian Church, historical The holder of a provision.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French provisour, from Latin provisor, from provis- 'provided' (see provision).