Found 2 items, similar to beadle.
English → English (WordNet) Definition: beadle beadle n 1: a minor parish official who serves as an usher and preserves order at services 2: United States biologist who discovered how hereditary characteristics are transmitted by genes (1903-1989) [syn: George Beadle, George Wells Beadle]
English → English (gcide) Definition: Beadle Beadle \Bea"dle\, n. [OE. bedel, bidel, budel, OF. bedel, F. bedeau, fr. OHG. butil, putil, G. b["u]ttel, fr. OHG. biotan, G. bieten, to bid, confused with AS. bydel, the same word as OHG. butil. See. Bid, v.] 1. A messenger or crier of a court; a servitor; one who cites or bids persons to appear and answer; -- called also an apparitor or summoner. [1913 Webster] 2. An officer in a university, who precedes public processions of officers and students. [Eng.] [1913 Webster] Note: In this sense the archaic spellings bedel (Oxford) and bedell (Cambridge) are preserved. [1913 Webster] 3. An inferior parish officer in England having a variety of duties, as the preservation of order in church service, the chastisement of petty offenders, etc. [1913 Webster]