chorister

views updated May 17 2018

chor·is·ter / ˈkôrəstər; ˈkär-/ • n. 1. a member of a choir, esp. a child or young person singing the treble part in a church choir.2. a person who leads the singing of a church choir or congregation.ORIGIN: late Middle English queristre, from an Anglo-Norman French variant of Old French cueriste, from quer (see choir). The change in the first syllable in the 16th cent. was due to association with obsolete chorist ‘member of a choir or chorus,’but the older form quirister long survived.

chorister

views updated May 29 2018

chorister member of a choir. XIV. ME. queristre — AN. *cueristre, var. of OF. cueriste, f. quer CHOIR; refash. (XVI) after †chorist or its source (O)F. choriste, medL. chorista (see CHORUS, -IST).