Priests-in-training are to be given glossaries to help them understand the Book of Common Prayer for the first time because they struggle to decipher the language.

The Prayer Book Society, which gives out free copies of the 17th century book to first-year students in theological colleges, will this year also include a key to some of its more old-fashioned words and phrases.

The list includes definitions for words such as "eschew" meaning abstain from, "concord", for an agreement between people, and "froward", meaning perverse or contrary.

Some of the included words could cause confusion to young ordinands due to more modern definitions, such as magnify - which in a 17th century sense means not to make something appear larger than it is, but to glorify or praise greatly.

"Meet" means not to encounter someone, but rather "appropriate or fitting".

And "comfortable" - which to a modern reader means at ease or relaxed, to writers of the book meant to strengthen or to make strong.

Tim Stanley, the Society's press officer, who conceived of the scheme, told the Daily Telegraph: "The language is quite Shakespearey. It's very beautiful but it's very ancient and there are some words in it which modern readers might find difficult to understand."