paternoster

/ˈpɑːtəˌnɒstə(ɹ)/

//ˈpɑːtəˌnɒstə(ɹ)// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"paternoster" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“paternoster” is uncommon English (frequency #81,685 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,685
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The Lord's Prayer, especially in a Roman Catholic context.

Corpus desk

Index EN-paternoster · paternoster · English

paternoster · rank #81,685 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,685
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pedant

Nearest frequency peer: pedant (+3 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “paternoster”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “paternoster” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for paternoster
PropertyValue
Headwordpaternoster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɑːtəˌnɒstə(ɹ)/
Letters11
Frequency rank#81,685
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “paternoster” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).paternosterfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “pedant” (#81,688), “panhandling” (#81,681), “Pandavas” (#81,680). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “paternoster” is #81,685. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

paternoster is uncommon English at frequency #81,685 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɑːtəˌnɒstə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

paternoster doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English paternoster, pater noster, from Old English Paternoster, from Latin Pater noster (“our father”) (the first two words of the Oratio Dominica (“the Lord's prayer”)), from pater (“father”) + noster (“our”). The lift and the fishing equipmen… The correct English form is paternoster, spelled P-A-T-E-R-N-O-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The Lord's Prayer, especially in a Roman Catholic context.
  2. 2
    A slow, continuously moving lift or elevator consisting of a loop of open-fronted cabins running the height of a building.
  3. 3
    A bead-like ornament in mouldings.
  4. 4
    A tackle rig with a heavy sinker at the end of the line, and one or more hooks on traces at right angles spaced above the sinker.
  5. 5
    A string of beads used in counting prayers that are said.
  6. 6
    Every eleventh bead in a rosary, at which, while counting the beads, the Lord's Prayer is to be repeated.
  7. 7
    A medieval artisan who crafted rosary beads or prayer nuts.
  8. 8
    A patent medicine, so named because salesmen would pray the Lord's Prayer over it before selling it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how paternoster appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The friar had said his paternosters duly
  2. A paternoster is any style of hook rig where the hook(s) are on droppers above a fixed sinker. One or two hooks are used on a paternoster rig. The droppers are tied using dropper loops tied directly in the line. The twisted dropper is an ideal knot as it stands out at right angles to the line.

Etymology

From Middle English paternoster, pater noster, from Old English Paternoster, from Latin Pater noster (“our father”) (the first two words of the Oratio Dominica (“the Lord's prayer”)), from pater (“father”) + noster (“our”). The lift and the fishing equipment are named from their resemblance to a rosary.

This word in other languages

Notre Père(Français)Vaterunser(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "paternoster"?
"paternoster" is spelled P-A-T-E-R-N-O-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑːtəˌnɒstə(ɹ)/.
What does "paternoster" mean?
As a noun, "paternoster" means: The Lord's Prayer, especially in a Roman Catholic context.
How do you pronounce "paternoster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paternoster" is /ˈpɑːtəˌnɒstə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "paternoster"?
From Middle English paternoster, pater noster, from Old English Paternoster, from Latin Pater noster (“our father”) (the first two words of the Oratio Dominica (“the Lord's prayer”)), from pater (“father”) + noster (“our”). The lift and the fishin... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "paternoster", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

panhandling#81,681penitential#81,690preschooler#81,717Newtownards#81,627

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list