Vicar word meaning and definition

[noun] a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman
[noun] (Church of England) a clergyman appointed to act as priest of a parish
[noun] (United States Episcopal Church) a clergyman in charge of a chapel

\Vic"ar\, n. [OE. vicar, viker, vicair, F. vicaire, fr. L. vicarius. See {Vicarious}.] 1. One deputed or authorized to perform the functions of another; a substitute in office; a deputy. [R.] 2. (Eng. Eccl. Law) The incumbent of an appropriated benefice. Note: The distinction between a parson [or rector] and vicar is this: The parson has, for the most part, the whole right to the ecclesiastical dues in his parish; but a vicar has generally an appropriator over him, entitled to the best part of the profits, to whom he is in fact perpetual curate with a standing salary. --Burrill. {Apostolic vicar}, or {Vicar apostolic}. (R. C. Ch.)
(a) A bishop to whom the Roman pontiff delegates a portion of his jurisdiction.
(b) Any ecclesiastic acting under a papal brief, commissioned to exercise episcopal authority.
(c) A titular bishop in a country where there is no episcopal see, or where the succession has been interrupted. {Vicar forane}. [Cf. LL. foraneus situated outside of the episcopal city, rural. See {Vicar}, and {Foreign}.] (R. C. Ch.) A dignitary or parish priest appointed by a bishop to exercise a limited jurisdiction in a particular town or district of a diocese. --Addis & Arnold. {Vicar-general}.
(a) (Ch. of Eng.) The deputy of the Archbishop of Canterbury or York, in whose court the bishops of the province are confirmed. --Encyc. Brit.
(b) (R. C. Ch.) An assistant to a bishop in the discharge of his official functions. {Vicar of Jesus Christ} (R. C. Ch.), the pope as representing Christ on earth.

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