-trē, -ri noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English vestrie, probably modification of Middle French vestiarie, vestiaire — more at vestiary
1. or vestry room
a.
(1) : a room within or attached to a church building in which the vestments of the clergy, the altar linen and hangings, and the sacred vessels and often church records are kept — called also sacristy
(2) : a room corresponding to a church vestry in a non-Christian temple
b. : a storage place (as a room or closet) for clothing or formerly other valuables
c. : a room within or a building attached to a church building used variously as a chapel, church-school room, or prayer-meeting room
2. : a body of persons entrusted with the administration of the temporal affairs of a parish in the Church of England or in the Protestant Episcopal Church ; also : a parish meeting or a meeting of a vestry especially in England