vardapet
/ˈvɑɹdəpɛt/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A highly educated archimandrite in the Armenian Apostolic Church tradition who holds a Doctorate in Theology.
Example Sentences
- "There is nothing particular to be mention'd concerning the Archbiſhops and Biſhops of the Armenians, […] It were only to be wiſh'd they diſcharg'd their Duty; but they have no Zeal, and are ſunk into the moſt wretched Ignorance, and are often less eſteem'd than the Vertabiets. Sometimes they are Biſhops and Vertabiets at the same time, that is to ſay, Bishops and Doctors. These Vertabiets, who make ſuch a noiſe among the Armenians, are not in reality great Doctors; but they are the moſt conſiderable Men of the Country, or at leaſt paſs for ſuch."
- "At the hour appointed most of the brethren met at the house of the vartabed; but found no one there to accuse or oppose them. They now had considerable conversation with the vartabed, and gave him some wholesome advice."
- "Cyriacus of Gandzak, vardapet, a writer of the 13th century. He has composed a History of Armenia, covering a period of near a thousand years. […] Vardan Vardapet of Baretzer-berd, of the 13th century, a fellow-disciple of Cyriacus of Gandzak, profoundly learned, and especially distinguished as a linguist. He has left us a complete history of Armenia from the time of Haik down to his own period."
- "The hardest trial of all to bear was the cruel bastinado, which the vartabad at length resorted to, seeing that other means failed. A young man was called into the presence of this church dignitary, and required to sign the patriarch's creed. Refusing to comply, he was placed on the floor and beaten with sticks on the soles of his feet, the vartabad assisting with his own hands in inflicting this cruelty."
- "Even if these treatises are not Mantagouni's but were written in imitation of Saint Chrysostom, the fact that they are addressed by an Armenian Vartabet (learned doctor) to the Armenian people is an evidence that theaters existed in Armenia. This, in its own turn, is an evidence of high culture and civilization among the Armenians."
- "A peculiar and important rank in the Armenian hierarchy, conferred by a sort of ordination rite, is that of vartapet. He is a hieromonk or widowed priest of superior learning and ability, especially authorized to preach and teach."
Etymology
Borrowed from Armenian վարդապետ (vardapet), from Old Armenian վարդապետ (vardapet, “teacher; vardapet”), from a South-Western Iranian word of the form *vard(a)-pet (literally “master of students; master of work”), ultimately from Proto-Iranian *warj- (“to do; to work; to till the land”) (from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- (“to make”), whence Old Persian vard- (“to work”) in the given name 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎺𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹 (Artavardiya-)) + Proto-Iranian *pati- (from Proto-Indo-European *pótis (“master; ruler”), whence Old Armenian պետ (pet, “chief, commander”), Parthian *pet).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: վարդապետ, *warj-, *werǵ-, *pati-, *pótis
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈvɑɹdəpɛt/
- British English: /ˈvɑːdəpɛt/