Etymology
From Middle English prest, preest, from Old English prÄ“ost (priest), from Late Latin presbyter, from Ancient Greek Ï€ÏεσβÏτεÏος or presbúteros), from Ï€ÏÎσβυς or présbus (elder, older). Reinforced in Middle English by Old French prestre, also from Latin presbyter.
Noun
priest (plural priests, feminine priestess)
- A religious clergyman/clergywoman/clergyperson who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple.
- The priest at the Catholic church heard his confession.
- The Shinto priest burnt incense for his ancestors.
- The Israelite priests were descended from Moses' brother Aaron.
- a blunt tool, used for quickly stunning and killing fish
- (Mormonism) the highest office in the Aaronic priesthood
Derived terms
- archpriest
- high priest
- priesthood
- priestly
Verb
priest (third-person singular simple present priests, present participle priesting, simple past and past participle priested)
- To ordain as a priest.
- Father Tom was priested when I was going to Catholic high school.
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:
