archimandrite
/ˌɑːkɪˈmandrʌɪt
/noun
1The superior of a large monastery or group of monasteries in the Orthodox Church.On Monday, the second day of Easter, the six Bulgarians attended a specially-organised Easter mass, led by the archimandrite of Tripoli, Makarios....
- ‘Look at those clouds in the East,’ said the deputy archimandrite, deliberately changing the subject.
- A staff is also granted to archimandrites and abbots, as they are the heads of monasteries.
1.1An honorary title given to a monastic priest.Our lesson needs only an illustration, and what better than the life of Archimandrite Gerasim Schmaltz, who was for many years the solitary guardian of St. Herman's Spruce Island Hermitage....
- Since leaving Mt. Athos, Archimandrite Dionysios has served at a number of different posts in Greece, Europe and America, eventually spending several years as Abbot of Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem.
Origin
Mid 17th century: via ecclesiastical Latin, from ecclesiastical Greek arkhimandritēs, from arkhi- 'chief' + mandra 'monastery'.