priest
Listen:Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
priest/priːst/
▶noun
- 1 an ordained minister of the Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican Church, authorized to perform certain rites and administer certain sacraments.
■ a person who performs ceremonies in a non-Christian religion.
- 2 a mallet used to kill fish caught when angling.
– derivatives
priesthood noun,
priestliness noun,
priestly adjective.
priesthood noun,
priestliness noun,
priestly adjective.
– origin OE prēost, of Gmc origin, based on eccles. L. presbyter; sense 2 of the noun alludes to the priest's function in performing the last rites.
'priest' also found in these Oxford entries:
acolyte
- administer
- altar boy
- amice
- anoint
- archimandrite
- Arianism
- bacchanal
- bacchant
- bonze
- celebrant
- chasuble
- clergyman
- cleric
- confess
- confessant
- confession
- confessional
- confessor
- cope
- curate
- curate-in-charge
- curé
- dastur
- deacon
- Druid
- duty
- ecclesiastic
- elevate
- father
- flamen
- Granthi
- hierarch
- hieratic
- hierophant
- high priest
- holy water
- houngan
- introit
- kohen
- mahant
- maniple
- Montanism
- mortuary
- neophyte
- officiant
- oracle
- order
- ordinand
- padre
