Churchewarden

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An elected lay officer of an Anglican parish who looks after church property and finances ; a long-stemmed clay pipe once popular for smoking tobacco
2. A lay official elected to manage a parish church's property and affairs ; a tobacco pipe with a very long curved stem made of clay
3. A parish layperson who helps administer church property and money ; a smoking pipe distinguished by its long clay or wooden stem

Etymology: Churchwarden is a plain compound of "church" and "warden," which comes from Anglo-Norman "wardein," from Old French "guarder," to watch over or protect. That is the same root that gave English "guard," with the French spelling keeping the original Germanic sound. The office was literally a guardian of the church. Churchwardens were lay officers, chosen by parishioners to look after the church building, its fabric, and its money. Their duties spread well beyond the church. In many English parishes they handled civic matters such as poor relief and the upkeep of roads, until later local government reforms in the nineteenth century moved those tasks elsewhere. The name also went to a long-stemmed clay tobacco pipe. It is often said to come from churchwardens who smoked such pipes during parish business, but that link is uncertain.