Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Weekly: same as hebdomadal.
  • noun In the Roman Catholic Church, that member of a chapter or convent whose duty it is, during a certain week, to officiate in the choir, rehearse the anthems and prayers, and perform other services which on extraordinary occasions are performed by the superiors. Also called hebdomader.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (R. C. Ch.) A member of a chapter or convent, whose week it is to officiate in the choir, and perform other services, which, on extraordinary occasions, are performed by the superiors.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective obsolete hebdomadal
  • noun A member of a Roman Catholic chapter or convent whose week it is to officiate in the choir and perform other services, which, on extraordinary occasions, are performed by the superiors.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of or occurring every seven days

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin hebdomadarius: compare French hebdomadier.

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Examples

  • (That's a good, catching phrase, "hebdomadary," though it's hard to say.

    The Wrecker 1898

  • The prohibition of the use of fleshmeat and milk at one meal: the hebdomadary symposium of incoordinately abstract, perfervidly concrete mercantile coexreligionist excompatriots: the circumcision of male infants: the supernatural character of Judaic scripture: the ineffability of the tetragrammaton: the sanctity of the sabbath.

    Ulysses 2003

  • After the seventh century, the Bishop of Palestrina was one of the hebdomadary prelates for the services of the Lateran basilica, and was, therefore, a cardinal; he is the fourth, in order, of the cardinal-bishops.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 11: New Mexico-Philip 1840-1916 1913

  • The prohibition of the use of fleshmeat and milk at one meal: the hebdomadary symposium of incoordinately abstract, perfervidly concrete mercantile coexreligionist excompatriots: the circumcision of male infants: the supernatural character of Judaic scripture: the ineffability of the tetragrammaton: the sanctity of the sabbath.

    Ulysses James Joyce 1911

  • When I am alone I am a chimney with no hebdomadary repose; I smoke forever.

    The Guest of Quesnay Booth Tarkington 1907

  • Item, the pittancer is to serve out mashed beans to the servants of the convent during Lent as well as to those who are in religion, and at this season he is to provide the prior of the cloister and the hebdomadary with bruised cicerate; 58 but if any one of the same is hebdomadary, he is only to receive one portion.

    Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino 1881

  • The cantor must sing the processional hymns which are sung on entering the church, but he is exempt from taking his turn of being hebdomadary by reason of his intoning the offices; and he is to write down the names of those who celebrate low masses and of those who get them said by proxy; and he is to report these last to the prior that they may be punished.

    Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino 1881

  • Item, he is to pay the prior of the cloister six florins for his fine 56 ... and three florins to the .... 57 and he should also give five eggs per diem to the hebdomadary of the high altar, except in Lent.

    Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino 1881

  • Also on days when there is a principal or processional feast, each one of them, including the hebdomadary, is to have five eggs.

    Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino 1881

  • Also if there is any cloistered person who has begun his week of being hebdomadary, and falls into such sickness that he cannot celebrate the same, the cantor is to say or celebrate three masses.

    Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino 1881

Comments

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  • Citation on filch.

    June 26, 2008

  • A pretty cool synonym for "weekly".

    December 20, 2009

  • 'HEBDOMADARY . . . well, you're a boss word' I said.

    'Before you're very much older, I'll have you in type as long as yourself'

    -Robert Louis Stevenson, The Wrecker, ch. 7.

    August 22, 2014