1. a person, typically poor or elderly, who is supported by a charitable institution or endowment and is expected to pray for the benefactor
Usage: archaic; chiefly British
2. a person who prays for another, especially one hired or obligated to do so
Usage: archaic

Examples

• The bedesman lived in a cottage provided by the church foundation.
• Medieval bedesmen were often housed in almshouses attached to cathedrals.
• As a bedesman, he was required to attend daily prayers for his patron's soul.
• The charity supported several bedesmen in their final years.
• Bedesmen formed an important part of medieval religious communities.