celebrant

/ˈsel.ə.brənt/

noun

  1. A person who leads or performs a formal ceremony, such as a wedding or funeral, especially someone who is not a member of the clergy.

    C1

    countableformal

    • "The celebrant welcomed the guests and began the wedding ceremony."B1
    • "They hired a civil celebrant because they wanted a non-religious wedding."B2
    • "As the celebrant of the funeral, she spoke warmly about his long life."C1

  2. A priest who performs the Eucharist or another religious rite.

    C2

    countablespecialized

    • "The celebrant at Mass was a visiting priest."B2
    • "Incense was carried in before the celebrant entered the church."C1

Common mistakes

  • He is a celebrant of his birthday today.→He is celebrating his birthday today.

    "Celebrant" does not mean "someone who is celebrating"; it means a person who officiates at a ceremony.

Collocations

civil celebrantwedding celebrantfuneral celebranthumanist celebrantthe celebrant of the Mass

Word family

celebratecelebrationcelebratorycelebrated