1. 1. The priest of a parish in the Church of England who receives a stipend or salary but does not receive the tithes of a parish.
   2. A cleric in charge of a chapel in the Episcopal Church of the United States.
   3. A cleric acting in the place of a rector or bishop in the Anglican Communion generally.
2. Roman Catholic Church. A priest who acts for or represents another, often higher-ranking member of the clergy.

[Middle English, from Old French vicaire, from Latin vicārius, vicarious, a substitute, from vicis, genitive of *vix, change.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.