priesthood

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.

▶verb formal ordain to the priesthood.

– derivatives
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.