archimandrite

Definition

The superior of a large monastery, or group of monasteries, in the Orthodox Church.

Etymology

Borrowed from French archimandrite, from Latin archimandrīta, from late Ancient Greek ἀρχιμανδρίτης (arkhimandrítēs), from ἀρχι- (arkhi-, “highest”) + μάνδρα (mándra, “enclosure, cloister, monastery”) + -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs, “member of”).

Example Sentences

• "My predecessors generally preferred to live and work in the monastery proper, but I like the solitude of the caves. I have been an archimandrite, here at Pskov, since 1915 and a humble monk for twenty years before that."