A paternoster or paternoster lift is a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like. The same technique is also used for filing cabinets to store large amounts of (paper) documents or for small spare parts. The much smaller belt manlift, which consists of an endless belt with steps and rungs but no compartments, is also sometimes called a paternoster.

Peter Ellis (1805–1884) was a British architect and inventor of the paternoster lift from Liverpool. He is best-known for designing Oriel Chambers, built in 1864, which is the world's first building to feature a metal-framed glass curtain wall. For this achievement he appears in the Guinness Book of Records.