Etymology Dictionary

SACRISTAN, SEXTON,  an officer in a church who has charge of the sacred vessels and vestments.  (F.,—L.)   The corruption of sacristan into sexton took place so early that it is not easy to find the spelling sacristan, though it appears in Blount's Glossographia, ed. 1674.   The duties of the sacristan have suffered alteration; he is now the grave-digger rather than the keeper of the vestments.   The form sextein is in Chaucer, C. T. 13942; the collateral form Saxton survives as a proper name; I find it in the Clergy List for 1873.—F. sacristain, 'a sexton, or vestry-keeper, in a church;' Cot.   Formed as if from Low Lat. sacristanus*, but the usual Low Lat. word is simply sacrista, without the suffix; cf. 'Sexteyne, Sacrista,' Prompt. Parv.; and see Ducange.   Formed with suffix -ista (= Gk. -ιστης) from Lat. sacr-, stem of sacer, sacred; see Sacred.   Der. sacrist-y, from F. sacristie, 'a vestry, or sextry, in a church,' Cot; cf. 'Sextrye, Sacristia,' Prompt. Parv.