Curate \Cu"rate\ (k?"r?t), n. [LL. curatus, prop., one who is charged with the care (L. cura) of souls. See Cure, n., and cf. Cur['e]] One who has the cure of souls; originally, any clergyman, but now usually limited to one who assists a rector or vicar. --Hook.

All this the good old man performed alone, He spared no pains, for curate he had none. --Dryden.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)