adjutor

Adjutor is a noun meaning helper or assistant, derived from the Latin adiutor, the agent noun of adiuvare “to help.” In English, adjutor is now archaic or specialized, with the feminine adjutrix attested as well. The term is most often encountered in ecclesiastical Latin and church history.

Etymology: From Latin adiutor, formed with the agentive suffix -tor from adiuvare, to assist; the masculine noun names the person who provides aid, while adjutrix is the feminine form.

Ecclesiastical usage: In the Roman Catholic Church, adiutor/adjutor historically designated a bishop who assists a diocesan bishop. In canon law, a related title coadjutor (with right of succession) and auxiliary bishop (without right of succession) are used; adjutor in contemporary text is rare and generally superseded by the other terms, though it may appear in historical documents.

Other uses: Outside ecclesiastical contexts, adjutor can appear in Latin texts referring to an assistant or helper in general, especially in scholarly or liturgical writing. In modern English, the term is mostly encountered in discussions of Latin terminology or ecclesiastical history.

See also: Coadjutor; Auxiliary bishop; Adjutant.