textuary

English

Etymology

Compare French textuaire.

Noun

textuary (plural textuaries)

One who is well versed in Scripture; a textman.
- a. 1710, Bishop George Bull, Some important points of primitive Christianity maintained and defended:
  I cannot omit to take notice here of that common axiom, "A good textuary is a good divine;" and to observe, that it is most true, if rightly understood: if by a textuary, we mean him who hath not only a concordance of Scriptures in his memory, but also a commentary on them in his understanding […]
One who adheres strictly or rigidly to a text.

Adjective

textuary (not comparable)

Contained in a text; textual.
- 1642, [Thomas Browne], “(please specify the page)”, in Religio Medici, London: […] Andrew Crooke, →OCLC:
  Some who have had the honour to be textuary in divinity are of opinion it shall be the same specifical fire with ours.
Serving as a text; authoritative.
- 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica: Or, Confest Ignorance, the Way to Science; […], London: […] E. C[otes] for Henry Eversden […], →OCLC:
  I can see no ground, why his Reason should be textuary to ours; or that God, or Nature, ever intended him an Universal Headship

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “textuary”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)