1. a person who rents or owns a pew in a church
Usage: historical

Examples

• The pewholder had reserved the same seat for over twenty years.
• As a pewholder, she felt responsible for maintaining the church’s traditions.
• The old church records listed each pewholder and their annual contribution.
• Many pewholders in the 19th century passed their seats down through generations.
• The pewholder system helped fund church operations in colonial America.