commendam Hear it!

commendam definition

com·men·dam (kə men′dam′)

noun

  1. the temporary holding of a benefice, with the right to its revenues, by a cleric or layman in the absence of a proper incumbent: he was said to hold the benefice in commendam
  2. a benefice held in this way

Etymology: < ML dare in commendam, to give in trust: see commandery

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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