Meanings
plural pastophori
- historicalA type of lesser priest in ancient Egypt, originally serving as a doorkeeper to a temple.
Origin
- Egyptianjrj-ꜥꜣ“doorkeeper”
- Demotic Egyptianjrj-ꜥꜣ
- Ancient Greekπαστοφόρος
- Latinpastophorus
- Englishpastophorus
From Latin pastophorus, from Hellenistic Ancient Greek παστοφόρος (pastophóros), from παστός (pastós, “ceremonial curtain”) + -φόρος (-phóros, “bearer”), a loose calque of Demotic Egyptian jrj-ꜥꜣ, from Egyptian jrj-ꜥꜣ (“doorkeeper”), from jrj (“keeper”) + ꜥꜣ (“door”). An old interpretation of the Greek term as ‘shrine-bearer’ is now rejected.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek, Demotic Egyptian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French pastophore
- pastophoretype of priest in ancient Egypt
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
pastophorus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pastophorus
“pastophorus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pastophorus. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pastophorus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pastophorus.
Source: pastophorus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.