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 présbusold’). 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.
\ \ Cf.PRESBYTERIAN

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Priest — • The minister of Divine worship and sacrifice Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Priest     Priest     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Priest — Priest, n. [OE. prest, preost, AS. pre[ o]st, fr. L. presbyter, Gr. ? elder, older, n., an elder, compar. of ? an old man, the first syllable of which is probably akin to L. pristinus. Cf. {Pristine}, {Presbyter}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Christian… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • priest|ly — «PREEST lee», adjective, li|er, li|est. 1. of or having to do with a priest: »the priestly office. SYNONYM(S): sacerdotal. 2. like a priest; suitable for a priest: »priestly sobriety …   Useful english dictionary

  • Priest — Priest, v. t. To ordain as priest. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • priest — In its Christian context a priest is an ordained minister of the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Church, or of the Anglican Church (above a deacon and below a bishop), authorized to perform certain rites and administer certain sacraments. Women who… …   Modern English usage

  • Priest —    PRIEST, an isle, in the parish of Lochbroom, county of Ross and Cromarty. This isle, called also Elan Achlearish, derives its name of Priest from its having been once inhabited, it is said, by a Popish clergyman, who used to shift his quarters …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • priest — W3 [pri:st] n [: Old English; Origin: preost, from Late Latin presbyter, from Greek presbyteros older man, priest , from presbys old man ] 1.) someone who is specially trained to perform religious duties and ceremonies in the Christian church 2.) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • priest — [ prist ] noun count ** 1. ) someone whose job is to lead worship and perform other duties and ceremonies in some Christian churches: a Roman Catholic priest He led the campaign for women to become Anglican priests. 2. ) a man who performs… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • priest — O.E. preost, shortened from the older Germanic form represented by O.S., O.H.G. prestar, O.Fris. prestere, from V.L. *prester priest, from L.L. presbyter presbyter, elder, from Gk. presbyteros (see PRESBYTERIAN (Cf. Presbyterian)). In O.T. sense …   Etymology dictionary

  • Priest — Priest, Alexis Graf von St. P., Sohn des Grafen Armand von St. P., eines französischen Emigranten u. Gouverneurs von Kherson unter Kaiser Alexander, geb. 1805 in Petersburg, kehrte mit seinem Vater nach der Restauration zurück u. widmete sich der …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Priest —   [priːst], Christopher, englischer Schriftsteller, * Manchester 14. 7. 1943; geprägt von der Tradition der Sciencefiction; schreibt v. a. Romane, die den Bezug zu diesem Genre spielerisch reflektieren, z. B. »The space machine« (1976; deutsch… …   Universal-Lexikon

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