Prebendal
adj ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Of or pertaining to a prebend; prebendary. not-comparable
"In this respect, Earl Henry's grants of prebendal property might be regarded as the original donatio and the first of a series of such grants that would only later culminate in a more general and confirmatory charter of foundation."
- 2 Having an associated prebend. not-comparable
"His father had held a prebendal stall at Ely in times when prebendal stalls were worth more than they are at present, and having also been possessed of a living in the neighbourhood, had amassed a considerable sum of money."
- 3 Of or pertaining to an honorary religious title granted by the state. not-comparable
- 4 Of or relating to official positions that are profitable for the incumbent, to the allocation of such positions, or to a system in which such allocation is prevalent. not-comparable
"In the 'Nigerian prebendal republic', Joseph (1996) argues, the statutory purposes of state offices become a matter of secondary concern. Gore & Pratten (2003:211) in their recent study described the pervasiveness of prebendal corruption in the Nigerian state 'endemic since the beginning of the oil boom, but locally perceived as having intensified from the 1990s onwards' as the 'politics of plunder'."
- 5 Relating to political patronage. not-comparable
Example
More examples"In this respect, Earl Henry's grants of prebendal property might be regarded as the original donatio and the first of a series of such grants that would only later culminate in a more general and confirmatory charter of foundation."
Etymology
From Latin praebenda (“the support or allowance afforded by the state to a private person”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.