Prófastr

Old Norse Dictionary - prófastr

Meaning of Old Norse word "prófastr" in English.

As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:

prófastr Old Norse word can mean:

prófastr: m. [Engl. provost; Germ. probst;—all from the eccl. Lat. praepositus]:—a provost; in the later Roman Catholic times the provost was a kind of church-steward, a ‘biskups ármaðr,’ and the diocese was divided into provostships, answering to the secular sýsla and sýslu-maðr; the provost might therefore be a layman; eptir ráði biskups eðr prófasts, Vm. 117, Dipl. v. 18, FmS. ix. 452, BS. i. 841; this division of the provostship appears in Icel. at the beginning of the 14th century, cp. esp. Laur. S. and the AnnalS.

prófastr: 2. in Norway the provost or dean of a collegiate church; prófastr í Túnsbergi, FmS. ix. 284; Ketill p. er varðveitti Máríu-kirkju, Hkr. iii. 349.

prófastr: II. after the Reformation the office underwent some change, and the prófastdæmi (Germ. probstie) became the eccl. division throughout the whole of the land; each provostship consists of several parishes, and one of the parish priests is called prófastr, answering closely to the Engl. archdeacon; he is nominated by the bishop, and is the head and overseer of his fellow-priests in the district, has to visit the churches, look after the instruction of the young, etc., and is a kind of bishop’s vicar, is unpaid, and holds his office for life.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛒᚱᚢᚠᛅᛋᛏᚱ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements

Abbreviations used:

cp.: compare.

eccl.: ecclesiastical.

Engl.: English.

esp.: especially.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

l.: line.

Lat.: Latin.

m.: masculine.

pl.: plural.

S.: Saga.

v.: vide.

etc.: et cetera.

Works & Authors cited:

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Dipl.: Diplomatarium. (J. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Laur. S.: Laurentius Saga. (D. III.)

Vm.: Vilkins-máldagi. (J. I.)

Hkr.: Heimskringla. (E. I.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

Also available in related dictionaries:

This headword also appears in dictionaries of other languages descending from Old Norse.