sexton

Sexton
    n 1: United States poet (1928-1974) [syn: {Sexton}, {Anne
         Sexton}]
    2: an officer of the church who is in charge of sacred objects
       [syn: {sexton}, {sacristan}]
    

Sexton \Sex"ton\, n. [OE. sextein, contr. fr. sacristan.]
   An under officer of a church, whose business is to take care
   of the church building and the vessels, vestments, etc.,
   belonging to the church, to attend on the officiating
   clergyman, and to perform other duties pertaining to the
   church, such as to dig graves, ring the bell, etc.
   [1913 Webster]

   {Sexton beetle} (Zool.), a burying beetle.
      [1913 Webster]
    

39 Moby Thesaurus words for "sexton":
      Bible clerk, Bible reader, acolyte, almoner, anagnost, beadle,
      bedral, capitular, capitulary, choir chaplain, churchwarden, clerk,
      deacon, deaconess, elder, elderman, embalmer, funeral director,
      gravedigger, lay elder, lay reader, lector, lecturer, mortician,
      parish clerk, precentor, reader, ruling elder, sacrist, sacristan,
      shames, sidesman, succentor, suisse, teaching elder, thurifer,
      undertaker, verger, vergeress