vestry

noun

ves·​try ˈve-strē How to pronounce vestry (audio)
plural vestries
1
a
b
: a room used for church meetings and classes
2
a
: the business meeting of an English parish
b
: an elective body in an Episcopal parish composed of the rector and a group of elected parishioners administering the temporal affairs of the parish

Examples of vestry in a Sentence

the priest returned the chalice to the vestry
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Organ pipes tumble to church floor, narrowly miss music director In spring 2022, music director and organist Tyler Robertson was preparing the church's organ to show the vestry how much the instrument had deteriorated over 140 or so years, as well as to make a pitch for a new replacement. Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 Russ Henry, a member of the vestry that oversees Christ Episcopal Church, told the AP that the church would like officials to be more cautious with their plan. Ashley J. Dimella Fox News, Fox News, 4 Dec. 2024 My childhood was full of visits to musty vestries in Milwaukee and Memphis and Marseille, as my dad wrote traveler’s checks to various priests in his most formal handwriting. John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024 The 36 unique rooms and suites (including six suites in a former vestry across a courtyard) form an opulent oasis in the rustic Umbrian countryside. Jason Horowitz, Town & Country, 16 June 2023 See All Example Sentences for vestry

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vestrie, probably from Anglo-French *vesterie, alteration of Middle French vestiarie, from Medieval Latin vestiarium, from Latin, cupboard for storing clothes, from vestis garment; from its use as a robing room for the clergy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of vestry was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vestry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vestry. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

vestry

noun
ves·​try ˈves-trē How to pronounce vestry (audio)
plural vestries
: a room in a church building for sacred furnishings (as vestments)

More from Merriam-Webster on vestry

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