noun
- plural of bedesman; men who are supported by a charitable institution or endowment, typically in exchange for prayers or religious duties.
Usage: archaic; chiefly British; historical
Examples
- The bedesmen of the almshouse were required to attend daily chapel services.
- Medieval bedesmen depended entirely on the charity of wealthy patrons.
- The will established a fund to support twelve bedesmen in perpetuity.
- Bedesmen were common fixtures in English parishes during the Tudor period.