crosier

or cro·zier

[ kroh-zher ]

noun

1. a ceremonial staff carried by a bishop or an abbot, hooked at one end like a shepherd's crook.
2. Botany. the circinate young frond of a fern.

crosier

/ ˈkrəʊʒə /

noun

1. a staff surmounted by a crook or cross, carried by bishops as a symbol of pastoral office
2. the tip of a young plant, esp a fern frond, that is coiled into a hook

Other Words From

• crosiered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of crosier¹

1350–1400; short for crosier-staff; Middle English crosier staff-bearer < Middle French; replacing Middle English crocer < Anglo-French. See crosse, -er ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of crosier¹

C14: from Old French crossier staff bearer, from crosse pastoral staff, literally: hooked stick, of Germanic origin

Example Sentences

Benedict has been laying in state without any papal regalia, such as a crosier, a silver staff with a crucifix, or a pallium, a band of cloth worn around the neck worn by archdiocesan bishops.

From Reuters

With a bit of fingertip digging through last year’s fronds and leaf litter, see that this year’s gift awaits: tight, unfurled crosiers.

From Seattle Times

Flanked by bishops in their ornate robes, Porfirije was handed over a crosier, a stylized staff that is a symbol of his office and a white stiff hat.

From Reuters

The job is less about the hat and more about the bishop’s crosier - the staff that symbolizes a shepherd’s crook.

From Washington Times

It matters not who wears the miter and carries the crosier.

From Washington Post