priest
pronunciation
How to pronounce priest in British English:
UK [priːst]
How to pronounce priest in American English:
US [priːst]
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- Noun:
- a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
- a spiritual leader in a non-Christian religion
Word Origin
- priest
- priest: [OE] Priest goes back ultimately to the Greek noun presbúteros, which meant literally ‘elder’ (it was formed from the comparative of the adjective présbus ‘old’). It was used in the Greek translation of the New Testament for ‘elder of the church, priest’. It was borrowed into Latin as presbyter (source of English presbyterian [17]). This subsequently became reduced to *prēster (as in Prester John), which was taken over by Old English as prēost, ancestor of modern English priest.=> presbyterian
- priest (n.)
- Old English preost probably shortened from the older Germanic form represented by Old Saxon and Old High German prestar, Old Frisian prestere, all from Vulgar Latin *prester "priest," from Late Latin presbyter "presbyter, elder," from Greek presbyteros (see Presbyterian). An alternative theory (to account for the -eo- of the Old English word) makes it cognate with Old High German priast, prest, from Vulgar Latin *prevost "one put over others," from Latin praepositus "person placed in charge," from past participle of praeponere (see provost). In Old Testament sense, a translation of Hebrew kohen, Greek hiereus, Latin sacerdos.
Antonym
Example
- 1. The priest fumbled in the folds of his gown .
- 2. He speculates that our riveting mystery man is a zoroastrian priest feeding the sacred fire .
- 3. A priest smiled at me as he went by .
- 4. A catholic priest called upon jesus christ to heal those who were hurt and to give everyone gathered the strength to fight against injustice .
- 5. Even the priest cannot see her .