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Definition of priest noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

priest

noun
 
 
/priːst/
 
/priːst/
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  1.  
     a person who is qualified to perform religious duties and ceremonies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox Churches
    • a parish priest
    • the ordination of women priests
    • The candles had been blessed by a priest.
    • the priest who was celebrating Mass
    • Only one or two new priests were ordained each year.
    compare chaplain, clergyman, minister, vicarTopics Religion and festivalsb1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • local
    • parish
    • village
    • …
    verb + priest
    • become
    • be ordained (as)
    priest + verb
    • celebrate something
    • officiate (at something)
    See full entry
  2.  
    (feminine priestess
     
    /ˌpriːˈstes/
     
    /ˈpriːstəs/
    )
    a person who performs religious ceremonies in some religions that are not Christian
    • a Hindu/Buddhist priest
    see also high priest
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • chief
    • high
    • temple
    • …
    See full entry
    3. Word OriginOld English prēost, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch priester, German Priester, based on ecclesiastical Latin presbyter ‘elder’, from Greek presbuteros ‘elder’ (used in the New Testament to denote an elder of the early church), comparative of presbus ‘old (man)’.
See priest in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee priest in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: priest

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