paternoster

Everyday

1. (church) The Paternoster is the Lord's Prayer, the prayer Jesus taught, named from its first words in Latin, «Pater noster», meaning «Our Father». tree →
2. (church) A paternoster can also be one bead in a rosary, or a whole string of prayer beads. tree →
3. (UK) A paternoster lift is an old kind of lift made of open cabins that keep moving slowly in a loop. tree →

In the lessons

In church life lessons it tells the reader about Catholic and old English worship; in history it appears in place names like Paternoster Square in London, where rosary makers worked. Phrases: say the Paternoster, a paternoster lift.

Examples

• The monks said the Paternoster every morning. tree →
• «Paternoster» is Latin for «Our Father». tree →
• Christians believe Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples. tree →
• She moved a bead of her paternoster with each prayer. tree →
• Paternoster Square is next to St Paul's Cathedral. tree →
• The old office had a paternoster lift that never stopped. tree →
• You must step quickly into a paternoster lift. tree →
• "For the next seven years you must not wash yourself, nor comb your hair or beard, neither must you cut your nails nor say one paternoster. tree →

Note

Say pat-er-NOS-ter. With a capital P when it means the prayer. In English the same prayer is usually called the Lord's Prayer. Comes from Latin, not French.